I'm a Digidestined?
by bmidd111
Summary: Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Digimon were actually real? Six children from our world, some Digimon fans, some not get the chance to find out- but not all of them will be so happy about it.
1. I'm a Digidestined?

Izumi Yukari was an ordinary 12 year old girl with Aspergers. She enjoyed watching many kinds of cartoons and reading books. But most of all she loved watching Japanese Anime and reading Manga. One series that she watched a lot of was "Digimon". She had finally gotten around to watching the whole of season three recently, and though she knew that it wasn't all wonderful, as said season had shown, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have a Digimon partner of her own. As she sat in her bedroom, a sudden feeling of weightlessness came over the girl. Izumi gasped as her room seemed to dissolve into a bright light. She wanted to close her eyes, but was unable to do anything but stare as a small device with a long handle and a cord to allow it to hang around her neck floated down to her.

"Izumi Yukari, you have been chosen as a Digidestined," a voice said. "What you do next is unavoidable, but how you do it is up to you. Are you ready to face your destiny?" it asked. The young girl was speechless, but although she had no idea if this was a dream or really happening and she was equal parts excited and terrified, Izumi nodded. "I will if I have to" she replied, reaching out and grabbing the Digivice. As soon as she touched it, the surrounding area returned to normal and she fell a short distance onto her bed. Izumi looked around, wondering what had just happened. Looking down at the device in her hand, she wondered if it really was a Digivice. Turning it around to examine it, the blue-haired girl found that it had a long handle connected to a large body which had several buttons around a screen. On the back of it was what looked like a camera screen like what you would find on the back of a mobile phone.

The main body was a mix of light blue and pink, while the handle was white. Looking back at the screen, Izumi blinked when she saw words appearing on it: _"Digidex ready for scanning. Please scan Digimon's information now" _"okay, so the model must be called a Digidex, but what does it mean: scan Digimon's information?" she muttered in thought. Suddenly the girl remembered something. Moving over to her craft cupboard, Izumi pulled out her drawing book and turned to the page where she had designed her own Digimon. Holding the lense part over the page, she watched in amazement as her Digidex scanned the page and all the information. Once that was done something else amazing happened. A white and ice blue Digiegg started to materialise in the air in front of her. When it was done the egg dropped like a stone. Izumi gasped and leapt to catch it. Wrapping her arms around the egg, the young girl sighed in relief. Looking down at her Digivice she found the screen to be dark again.

"Okaaay? Well now what do I do?" she asked herself, gripping her Digidex with one hand and cradling her new, unhatched partner in her arms.

**_Ð_**

The whole rest of the day was spent caring for the Digiegg and examining her Digivice to see what else it could do. To tell the truth she still hadn't fully taken in what had just happened. She was a Digidestined. How, she had no idea, but she was. Her new partner was going to need a lot of food when they hatched, and she still had to tell her mother about everything. Not to mention fight off whatever evil was after the Digital world now. She sighed, was she supposed to fight this threat by herself? Glancing down at the egg she was slowly rubbing, the young girl smiled. Well, not completely alone at least. As Izumi did her jobs that day, she wondered what her creation would look like as a real Digimon.

And she also thought about if there were supposed to be any other Digidestined like her around. As she was eating dinner, the young woman was trying to come up with ways to tell her mother about her new "destiny". Brushing her short blue hair out of her face Izumi took a deep breath. "Mama, I need to talk to you about something important" she began. "Yes dear?" her mother, Nori Yukari asked, looking up in expectation. The brown-haired woman wondered why her daughter looked so nervous. "Well, you know those Digimon Anime? And how the kids became Digidestined when they received a Digivice and Partner Digimon?" Izumi asked. "Um, yes? Where is all this going Izumi?" Nori asked her daughter. The Blue-haired girl sighed and pulled out her Digivice, "it turns out that's it's more than just an Anime" she said.

And so the girl began to explain to her mother exactly what had happened earlier in the day. She even went and got her Digi-egg from her bedroom as evidence. As the two women sat in the living room, one trying to understand and come to terms with everything she had just been told and the other waiting impatiently for her mothers reaction, Izumi kept unconsciously rubbing the Dig-egg she held in her lap. "It's just- so crazy sounding, like something out of a book or a cartoon- no wait, it is from a cartoon, how can you be a Digidestined! Digimon aren't real!" Nori complained. "But they are, even if we can't see them, Digimon and the Digital World are as real as you or I. I know this is hard to understand, but this is something I need to do Mama. The Digital World is connected to our world. If something happens to the Digital World, it could cause big problems for ours. Not to mention any evil Digimon that might come here to try and take over this world" Izumi replied, trying to convince her mother.

"But-" Nori began, but was unable to put her disbelief into words, so she just shook her head. The young girl knelt in front of her mother, "Mama, listen, I may be a child, but I know when I need to step up- not just one, but two worlds need me, so I will do what I need to when I have to" the Blue-haired girl replied. Nori held her daughter in her arms, "I don't know about all of this dear, but- if this Digital World place is real, and you really need to go- I will try to let you do what you need to Izumi." The woman stroked the young girl's hair, very worried for her daughters safety, but hoping that she would be okay. Nori teared up. She had never paid much attention to those Digimon Anime Izumi watched, but she was sure that this evil wouldn't just let her defeat them. Her baby would be in horrible danger. But she was still determined to do this. She would fight. The woman threw her arms around the younger girl's shoulders, hugging her daughter, "please just, try to be careful, okay Izu-Chan?" she asked.

The blue-haired girl hugged her mother back, as tears gathered in her own eyes. She hadn't admitted it yet, but she was scared. She would have to go to an entirely different world, fight terrifying and overwhelmingly powerful enemies, and she had no idea if she would even have any help aside from her Digimon partner. Izumi was scared. But she knew that if she did nothing, everyone would either die or suffer, including her mother, "I promise I'll try to be" she replied. The young girl wiped her eyes and smiled slightly. Nori replied with a smile of her own and nodded, "okay!" she exclaimed breathily, "let's have dinner now" the mother said.

**_Ð_**

As she went to bed later, Izumi's eyes wondered first to the Digi-dex on her bedside table and then to the Digiegg that she had set up earlier. It was placed in a large basket on the floor near her bed, warm blankets underneath and wrapped around it so that when the baby Digimon hatched it would be warm, comfortable and safe. She hoped it would happen soon, she was really looking forward to meeting her partner Digimon. Izumi then turned off the light and closed her eyes.

To Be Continued


	2. Prayers for a family

Nine year old Koko slowly trudged back to the Orphanage where she lived. She had just spent the day at the small School where she and many of the other children went together. The red-haired girl wore a faded orange and yellow checked dress under a worn pale red coat. Part of her short hair was done up in a sideways facing pony-tail while a grey-white head band kept her fringe out of her face. Koko had been living at the Orphanage since she was three years old. From what she had been told of the day she was brought there, she was found wondering around the streets looking for her Mama. A search had been conducted by the Police, but no-one had been found. She had been living in the old building ever since.

Koko had long since given up on finding her birth parents, her only hope now was being adopted by new ones. The problem was that none of the prospective parents that ever came around ever wanted her. She wondered if something was wrong with her? She had heard the ladies who took care of them talking a few times. They said that most of the time, the only children who were never adopted were the ones who had something wrong with them. Sure, they tried to make sure that none of the children heard them talk about that, but it was no use. Many of the orphans who had been their for more than a few years were starting to loose hope. She had been their seven years now. As she finally made it back "home" the chores began. All the children had to clean their own rooms. As the afternoon wore on, Koko wondered if this was her destiny. To be alone in an Orphanage forever.

That night when everyone was in bed, the red-haired girl found that she couldn't sleep. She stood up and walked to the window. Kneeling down, her dull Aqua blue eyes stared up at the starry sky. Tears began to build in her eyes and she bent her head to hide her sorrow. Slowly, the red-haired girl brought her hands up to her chest and clasped them together tightly, breath shaky, "please," she whispered, "their must be someone out their that would love me- someone who would accept me as family," tears built in Koko's eyes, "I don't know if there is a God up their or not, but if anyone can hear me- I-I just want one person. Just one who will love me for who I am and will never leave me. I beg you, please grant my wish!" she cried softly, finally giving into the sadness that enveloped her heart. Un-noticed by her, the room began to dissolve into a bright white light. "Koko," a voice began. The red-haired girl gasped and her eyes flew open. She had been wishing so hard that she never noticed the floating sensation or the bright light that began to envelop her.

"Wh- what's happening!?" she cried as she floated suspended in the air. "Do not be afraid child, I am here to grant you your wish" the un-known person replied. "You have been chosen for a great mission. The future is unavoidable, but the choice of accepting to be a part of that future is up to you." Koko blinked in disbelief, mission? The future? She had to be dreaming, right? "it will be dangerous, however, should you choose to accept this burden it will not be without reward," the voice continued. Suddenly a light pink, orange and dark red device floated down to her. Something a about it seemed familiar to her. Then she remembered. One day a week on Saturday, the children were allowed to watch cartoons on the small TV in the library. One show that she loved was an Anime cartoon called Digimon.

"Is that, a Digivice?" she asked. "It is, and you are a Digidestined. I'm sure you know that if you should choose to accept this mission, that you would receive a Digimon Partner of your own? If you agree to this, you **will** get your own Digimon. This will give you a partner who will always stay by your side and will become your family. So? Will you accept this responsibility Koko?" The red-haired girl stared at the Digivice in front of her in thought. Then her face firmed in resolve, "okay, I'll do it!" she exclaimed. A pink, yellow and green Digi-egg appeared next to the Digivice, before the floatiness stopped and she hit the ground. Koko blinked and gasped as both the device and egg fell through the air. Jumping forward, the Nine-year old groaned when her body hit the wooden floor with a loud _'thump'_. Slowly forcing her watery eyes open, Koko sighed in relief when she saw the egg was fine.

Standing up, the little girl winced, she was sure that something was bruised at least. Placing both the Digi-egg and Digivice on her bed, she looked over her egg first. It was a large egg that was half green on the bottom and pink on the top, with a small part up the top of the egg coloured yellow. So her new partner was in this egg. Touching it, the shell felt very warm. Turning her attention to her new Digivice after making sure the egg with her partner was safe on her bed, Koko examined it closely. It was definitely large. The small girl felt a soft smile come to her face as she picked it up again and held it in her arms. This Digimon was her new family as well as her partner. Her wish really had come true. Suddenly she remembered exactly where she was and looked around quickly. Koko wrapped her arms around the Digi-egg protectively. If any of the Orphanage's staff found it, they would take it away from her.

She would loose her new family without even getting a chance to meet them! No! That couldn't happen! This Digi-egg was the answer to her prayers! She would rather suffer any punishment if it meant that she could keep her Partner with her. And so, with her decision made, Koko tried to find a place to hide the large egg in her room. Once she'd managed to hide it under the bed, the young girl lay down and, unsurprisingly, fell asleep immediately.

**_Ð_**

The next morning, the red-head wanted to check on her Digi-egg, but the Matron came in to get them to start her chores, and after that was breakfast. Koko sighed. She would just have to wait. Breakfast was the same as usual: a single bowl of rice, small bowl of Miso soup and a single plate of fish. Not much but enough. As she was getting ready for School, Koko's hand brushed against the Digivice on her bed. The nine year old stared at the device for a moment, before grabbing it and stuffing it into her bag without thinking. Pulling on her School uniform, Koko was already board with the School day. But she shouldered her back-pack and turned back to her _almost_ empty room. "Bye" she whispered.

To Be Continued


	3. What's a Digimon?

Shiro Yuka was a typical girly girl. She was 12 years old and liked playing with Barbie dolls and watching Shojo Anime. As she walked home from School, she wondered if any of her friends would be interested in going shopping with her this afternoon. Suddenly the world around her faded and her next step didn't touch the ground. As Shiro floated in mid-air, she looked around in shock and terror, "W-what's happening!? Where am I!? Where's the ground!?" she demanded. "Shiro Yuka, you have been chosen for a great destiny. You are a Digidestined, meaning you now hold the fate of both your world and the Digital World in your hands. Should you choose to accept your mission, you will face danger, but you will make many friends, and be able to protect those you love. You will receive your own Digimon partner and be able to stop the evil that is threatening everything. Do you accept?" a voice asked.

Shiro frowned, "wait, hold on, what's a Digimon?" she asked in confusion. "A Digimon is a Digital Monster, a creature with the intelligence of humans made of Data. When a Digimon becomes partnered to a human, that human then becomes a Digidestined. The job of a Digidestined is to protect both their own and the Digital World. Our world and yours are linked, if the Digital World is damaged or destroyed, it will have catastrophic consequences for this one. You do not have to accept this burden, make no mistake, it will be very dangerous, but if you want to protect the ones you love, it will be well worth the risk" the unknown voice explained. Shiro's frown deepened. She still didn't understand everything completely, but she knew that her family, friends and even the _world_ was in danger. She wasn't sure what _she_ could do, but if she could help in any way, then she would try at least.

"I- I don't really know what I could do- or even understand completely, but if you think I could help in anyway, and I can keep my family and friends safe, then I'll try" Shiro replied with a nod. A large pink egg floated down to her, "this is a Digi-egg. It holds your unborn Digimon partner, who will protect you and fight on your behalf in protecting both worlds" the voice said. "Wait! If the Digimon fights the battles, why do you need me?" the Albino girl asked in confusion. "Digimon can be strong in their own right, however, when fighting to protect a human partner, not only is the Digimon fighting harder for something they know is special to them, but your Digivice, the device I'm about to give you allows your Digimon to tap into the energy you provide them to become stronger and defeat the enemies you will face. Do you understand?" the unknown voice asked. "I- I think so, but I don't know if I can do it alone, I mean, I don't even _know_ what I'm doing" Shiro replied. "You will not be alone on this mission. As well as your Digimon partner, you will have a group of other Digidestined to help you" the voice replied.

"I- suppose, if it's crucial to the safety of the world and this other world, I don't really have a choice" Shiro replied. The girl reached out and took the Digivice in one hand and the egg in the other. Slowly the girl floated down to the ground again. Suddenly the world appeared around the Yuka and she gasped. Looking around, the girl could almost believe that everything had been some kind of hallucination if it hadn't been for the very real, heavy and warm Digi-egg in her arms and Digivice in her hand. It also seemed like no time had passed at all. Shiro turned to go home. She had friends to call and apologise to and an anime to watch.

**_Ð_**

Once back home, Shiro placed the Digi-egg down on the couch next to her and opened her laptop. She typed "Digimon anime" into the search bar. Several options came up. She typed "first Digimon anime" in. "Digimon: Digital Monsters anime" popped up and she clicked on it. The Albino girl spent the next few hours watching the first few episodes of the Anime. The Digidestined certainly seemed to get into a lot of trouble, and despite it being nothing like what she would usually watch, Shiro found that she was enjoying it so far. However, she glanced down at the pink Digiegg she'd sat beside her on the couch. It did seem very dangerous, what if she wasn't good enough to help? After all, she had no experience with this kind of thing.

She found herself feeling an especially strong kinship with Mimi Tachikawa. She thought that she might feel the same if she were in the same position. Which, she thought, she just might be soon. Shiro didn't know if she could do something like this. Her parents weren't really that into her life either. Her Tou-San had realised later in his life that he also liked other men, and while he still loved Kaa-San and her, he couldn't stay with them. So they divorced. Shiro still went to visit him and his boyfriend every second week. The young man was nice, she supposed, but she still loved both her mother and father as her parents. Shiro sighed, she had no idea how to tell either of them about this, it sounded crazy! Looking down again at her Digi-egg and Digivice as she watched the series, the white-haired girl frowned. If just one Champion level evil Digimon could do that, what could the stronger ones do?

She managed to watch 5 episodes before her Kaa-San came home. "Shiro-Chan! I'm home!" Hikari Yuka called as she entered the house. The Albino quickly shut down the computer and hide her Digi-egg and Digivice before the older woman could see it, "Welcome home Kaa-San!" she called back cheerfully. The older woman entered the room with a wide smile, "good afternoon! How was your afternoon with your friends?" she asked cheerfully. "It was okay," Shiro replied, but quickly branched off from that topic, so she wouldn't have to make up something that she hadn't gotten around to doing, "well, I'm going to go to my room now, so I'll see you in a while, okay Kaa-San?" she said as she picked up the bag that she'd managed to hide her Digi-egg and Digivice in. "Okay, I have to go do some work in the study too, so if you need anything, you know where to find me okay dear?" Hikari asked.

The Albino girl smiled at her mother as she went up the stairs to her bedroom. Hikari was a self-published best-selling author of a series of children's books. As such they were fairly well-off, moneywise. Her Tou-San had also brought in a fair bit of money himself when her parents were together, as he was a doctor. He still sent them a check every month, but it wasn't the same. After reaching her bedroom, Shiro placed her Digi-egg into a nest of pillows, since she didn't want the Baby to be hurt when they hatched. What? She may only be five episodes into the first series, but she knew that most things that hatched from eggs were babies. Looking down at her Digivice, she did understand a bit more abut the destiny she was given, but even so- would she be able to do anything?

Would she be able to help any other Digidestined that she ended up with, or own her own partner? The Albino girl sighed, she still didn't want to fight someone else's battles, but she'd already agreed to accept this mission. She was a Digidestined now, whether she liked it or not, and that meant that she, and any other children that were called on, would be the only things standing between evil Digimon and their loved ones. Shiro clenched her fists. It would be hard and dangerous, she knew that now. She may not even be really sure if she could do anything to help. But if she could do _something_, then that was enough for now.

To Be Continued


	4. The Uchiwa Heir becomes a Digidestined

The Uchiwa family was one of the richest families in Japan. It owned several companies and services in Japan, and even a few outside it. Every member of the Uchiwa family was expected to do great things. And the Heir was under even more pressure. As such, 12 year old Kirin Uchiwa was sent off to a private academy and given tutors to help him succeed. He was expected to learn several languages and exceed in Maths, Science, Economics and Business Studies. Kirin wasn't allowed to make random friends, he needed to make connections with other high class heirs and keep them happy no matter what. As rich as he was, if Kirin did his best in School and with his Social life, he was given everything he wanted.

Everything except his parents attention and love. The blond boy did his best to live up to his families high expectations, working hard on every test he was given to get as high a score as possible. He tried to make his "friends" happy and never spoke out of turn. However he was getting so exhausted with it all. Maybe some other kids would thrive under the pressure he was put under, but not Kirin. Yes, he enjoyed reading, but not if that was overstudying. He did know several languages, but only a bit of each. His tutors were impressed at his current test scores, but his Tou-Sama never seemed to think it was enough. Sasuke Uchiwa was the head of the family, and believed his son was slacking off on his duties. That was a word he liked to use a lot. If Kirin wasn't 100% perfect, then he wasn't trying hard enough. His Kaa-Sama, Emiko, however, believed that pushing him would only cause more problems.

She was the kind of woman who was very carefree and open. She thought that her son was doing fine, especially since he was only 12 years old and wouldn't even to eligible to take over as head of the family until he was 20. Kirin always felt so exhausted just trying to deal with his everyday life that he had no energy to complain. As he was driven to School that morning, the blond boy sighed. He wished he had a choice about something _anything_ in his life. Was that too much to asked for? As the Limo reached the front gates of his school, the Uchiwa sighed and adjusted his red jacket and bag. "Have a good day Kirin-Sama" the kind young driver called as he got out of the car. Kirin smiled slightly in thanks to the man as he straightened his glasses, "thank you, I'll try to" he replied. As the limo drove away, the boy sighed, well, time for another day of trying to live with the overwhelming expectations placed upon his back. As he took his first step however, the world seemed to fade into darkness. Kirin's eyes widened in shock as he floated in nothingness. "Wha-what is this? Hello? Is anyone their?!" the blond called. "Kirin Uchiwa, you have been chosen for a great destiny-" unknown voice began, but was cut off as the boy began to ramble in a panic.

"Who are you? Where am I? Wait? Where is that voice coming from? Ah! Are you here to kidnap me as a ransom for Tou-Sama?!" Kirin exclaimed in a panic. "No, I am here to tell you-" but the unknown voice was cut off by the blond boy, "what's going on?! Why is their no ground?! Am I falling?! Aaaaaahhhhhhhh! I'm gonna die!" the blond screamed. "SHUT UP!" the unknown voice screamed. The boy flinched back, "s-sorry! Sorry!" he apologised. The unknown voice sighed, "now listen, I'm only going to say this one more time, okay? And don't freak out again!" Kirin nodded, "Right, sorry, sorry voice-San" he replied. "Alright, you have been chosen to be a Digidestined, a human who is partnered with a Digimon. Your job will be to work with your Digimon partner to fight a great evil in the Digital World and in doing so, protect both your own home world and the Digital one, do you understand?" the voice asked in exasperation.

Kirin nodded, "I think so, but why have you chosen me for such a big responsibility? I mean, I can't even fulfil my own Tou-Sama's expectations, what if I fail with this too?" the boy asked, worried. "You won't, because you won't be alone. If you accept this mission, you will not only have the other Digidestined to help you, but you will also have your own Digimon partner to help you. You will all work together to fight your enemies, and you will make real friends with your own partner as well as your fellow Digidestined. So, what will you choose young Kirin Uchiwa?" Kirin looked down in thought. If he didn't fight, then there was a chance that this evil would threaten or even possibly kill his parents. However, he still didn't know if he was brave enough for this kind of thing. The voice did say that his new partner would be fighting and that the other "Digidestined" would also be fighting right?

"Well, I'm not sure about this, but I can at least try, right? Okay, I-I'll accept" the blond boy said. Suddenly a large egg floated down to him through the darkness as well as a strange device. Kirin reached out and caught the egg in her arms, before taking hold of the device as well. "Your partner will hatch from that egg and the device is your Digivice, which you can use to help your Digimon Digivolve". The Uchiwa nodded, "okay- okay, I understand, thank you for trusting me, I'll do my best" Kirin replied. Suddenly the boy was back in front of his School. He gasped and quickly stuffed his Digiegg and Digivice into his bag. The blond then jumped as the School bell rang, before he hurried through the gate.

**_Ð_**

The whole day at School was unbearable as usual. Especially since they had a test. Kirin knew, that if he didn't get 100%, Tou-Sama would be angry. He tried to concentrate and get all the answers right. But he couldn't focus. All he could think about was his Digi-egg that was hidden in his School bag. How was he _possibly_ going to explain this all to his parents. Tou-Sama would very likely ban him from being a Digidestined because it would interfere with his studies and learning what he needed to to inherit the family business. If what the voice had said was right, a great evil was currently threatening not only this Digital World place, but also his own world. He was still afraid that he wouldn't be good enough to help the other Digidestined that had been chosen, but if he didn't even get a chance to try, what good was he?

This was the first time he'd been given a choice to do something, and he wanted to see it through. But how? Kirin was suddenly brought out of his thoughts by his teacher, "Uchiwa-San, I hope you're concentrating on the test. I would hope that I wouldn't have to tell your Tou-Sama" Ren-Sensei called. The blond boy blushed but shook his head, "no Sensei, I'm working" he replied, deciding to leave all of those thoughts for after the School day was over. But he swore that no matter what, he would do his best for both the Real and Digital Worlds.

To Be Continued


	5. The Transfer Student is chosen

12 year old Mark Kain looked around their new apartment. He and his Dad had just moved to Japan from Australia. Brendon Kain was a movie star. Well, a supporting role in a series of movies. The current one was being filmed in Japan. So Brendon had packed their things up, and he and his son had moved, fairly abruptly to another country. Thankfully, since his Dad needed to know many different languages for his job, Mark already knew enough Japanese to speak the language fairly fluently. Now the only problems were learning the written language, finding his way around, and trying to fit in at a new School.

The mostly Aboriginal boy sighed as he was driven to School. He knew that no Japanese children had skin as dark as he did, or English names. Mark was sure that he would get a group of bullies the minute he walked through the door. He didn't know if their would be anyone who would want to be friends with him. Soon enough he was standing at the gates to his new School. The boy adjusted his shirt and pushed some of his sandy bond hair that had fallen in his face back behind his shoulder. Well, no reason to keep standing here. And so the boy headed inside.

**_Ð_**

Sitting in class, Mark waited for his name to be called so that he could introduce himself. He was already getting a lot of stares. Most people didn't have the combination of colours that he did. Sandy blond hair, dark skin and green eyes. The boy looked around uneasily for a distraction. Suddenly he saw a girl sitting near the front. She had pale skin, shoulder length _blue hair_ and grey eyes. Well, that was defiantly more exotic than he imagined. But the hair was probably dyed. Maybe. "Mark Kain?" the teacher called. The boy stood up, "here!" he replied. Yuma Sensei nodded and moved on, "Izumi Yukari?" he asked. The blue-haired girl raised her hand, "here Sensei!" she called back. Mark glanced at the girl as she sat down. So her name was Izumi?

He cocked his head to the side. There was something about her that intrigued him. And it wasn't just her eyes or hair. It was at that point that Yuma Sensei finished the Roll, "Okay everyone, as you know, we have a new student joining us today. Why don't you come and introduce yourself to everyone?" the Teacher asked. Mark stood and went to the front of the class. He bowed, "my name is Mark Kain, I am originally from Australia. Please take care of me and help me out, okay?" that was how Japanese people talked wasn't it? The teacher nodded, "thank you, I'm sure we'll all get along well Kain-San, please take your seat again" Yuma Sensei replied with a smile. As he went to take his seat, the Teacher began talking again, "okay, so, to start off with, would everyone please take your notebooks out and copy this from the board-".

**_Ð_**

That day at lunch, Mark was looking for a place to sit and eat, when he noticed Izumi sitting by herself. The boy decided to try and talk with her, and as he walked over, he remembered how their Teacher, (no, Sensei) had addressed him. As he stopped next to her, he cleared his throat. The blue-haired girl looked up at him, "um, so you're Izumi-San, I mean Yukari-San? Yukari, Yukari, I have to remember that you say the last name if you don't know the person well" he stumbled over his words and shook his head, trying to make himself remember the way people spoke over here. Izumi smiled slightly, "you're from overseas, right? Australia you said?" she asked. Mark nodded, "yes, that's right" he replied. "You speak Japanese very well for someone from a country of mostly English-speaking people" she said with a slightly wider smile.

The part Aboriginal rubbed the back of his head, "well I know a few languages. My Dad- sorry, my Tou-Chan and I move around a lot because of his job, so I've had to learn quite a few different ones so that I could talk to and understand the people around me" he explained. Izumi looked interested, "which languages do you know?" she asked. "Well, I know English, Japanese, obviously, German, Spanish, Aboriginal as part of my family heritage and Italian" he paused to let this sink in, "it was my Grandparents who taught me Aboriginal though" Mark explained. "Wow, that's a lot" Izumi replied, sounding impressed. The dark-skinned boy blushed slightly, "yeah, well, it's not as impressive as you might think. The only languages I can speak fluently, are English, Aboriginal and Japanese. My German, Spanish and Italian aren't nearly as good" he explained.

"I still think it's pretty cool, I only know Japanese" Izumi replied. She looked down, "I don't really have that many friends at School, I have maybe one or two, but most of the other kids think I look weird- with my hair and eye colours? They're natural, but the others do still make fun of me sometimes, and not just because of my looks- I have a mental disorder called Aspergers, so it's hard for me to keep up with everything in School. That's another reason people don't want to be my friend" the blue-haired girl replied. Mark frowned, "why would people avoid you for that? It's not like Asperger's is contagious or anything?" he asked, confused. Izumi shrugged, "I don't know, I guess they just don't want to be bothered by me" she replied, looking down sadly.

The part Aboriginal boy placed a hand on her shoulder, causing the blue-haired girl to look up at him, "I'll be your friend" he said, face completely serious, before it broke into a kind smile. The Yukari gasped before she smiled, a single tear falling down her cheek, "thank you" she said softly.

**_Ð_**

It was the afternoon. Mark and another boy from class were on clean-up duty for their classroom. As he took the rubbish from the bin out, the part-Aboriginal sighed, "you know, normally there'd be cleaners who did this kind of thing. Why do we have to do this?" he muttered. Suddenly the room was engulfed in a bright white light. Mark felt like he was floating, "woah, what's happening?!" he asked, shocked. "Mark Kain, you have been chosen for a great destiny. You are a Digidestined" a voice suddenly said. The boy was too shocked to speak yet, so the voice continued, "a great evil is threatening both your own world and the Digital World. You have been chosen to stop it" it explained. Mark blinked, "wait, Digital World? Like from that Anime I watched back in Australia?!" he exclaimed. "Yes, the Digital World and your world are connected, if this evil destroys our world, yours will follow" the unknown voice replied.

The boy blinked, "woah, but, wait- what do you think I can do?" he asked, confused. "You are a Digidestined, you have been chosen to fight this evil alongside others in order to protect those you love," the voice explained, "as well as the other Digidestined, you will have your own Digimon partner to help and protect you". Mark looked down in thought, "will you accept this mission and fight to protect both worlds?" the voice asked him. After a moment, the boy looked up, "I will!" he replied in determination. Suddenly a strange device floated down to the boy, as well as a large dark grey and Indigo coloured Digi-egg. Mark caught both in his arm and hand. Suddenly the world returned to normal and the boy barley managed to keep from landing flat on his back.

He looked around the empty classroom, before quickly hiding his Digi-egg and Digivice in his School bag. When his cleaning buddy returned, he made it look like he was still cleaning. The part Aboriginal look out the window. So he was a Digidestined. He guessed that he'd just have to see how this went.

To Be Continued


	6. A shy Chosen and an outgoing bunny

Hiroshi Yagami was a shy, sensitive kid. He hated violence and pain in everyone, and would rather avoid a fight by running and hiding than stick up for himself if that meant hurting someone. His parents had been killed in a car crash when he was five and at the moment he lived with his Grandmother. He liked to draw and could often be found sketching anything that interested him. At the moment he was interested in the Anime series "Digimon Tamers". There were many interesting Digimon to draw. At the moment he was drawing a picture of Terriermon. He thought the Bunny Digimon was cute.

As he sat in his room, watching the latest episode and drawing one of the Digimon, his Grandmother knocked on his bedroom door, "Hiroshi-Kun, I'm going out to get something for our dinner, do you want to come with me?" she asked. The boy finished the episode he was watching, placed his drawing pad and pencil down and stood up, "okay, I'll come" he replied as he opened the door and went to get his shoes. Mikami Yagami smiled slightly as she watched her Grandson, sighing as she remembered his parents. He was so much like them- shy like his father had been and caring like his mother. She missed them a lot, but at least she had her Hiroshi. Soon enough the boy returned, pulled his boots on at the Genkan and opened the door for his Oba-san.

**_Ð_**

When the Grandmother and young boy returned, Hiroshi helped her pack away the shopping before returning to his Bedroom. After a few minutes he had finished his sketch. The black-haired boy smiled at it, before noticing his TV was on. Hiroshi frowned, "I'm sure I turned the TV off before we left" he muttered to himself. Picking up the remote control, he pressed the off button multiple times, but the screen didn't black out like he expected it to. "Huh? Did the batteries die?" he wondered. Kneeling down in front of the Television, he tried pressing the off switch on it, only for the same result.

"What the- what is going on?" he muttered. Suddenly the white light brightened and enveloped the whole room. Hiroshi gasped in fear as he felt his floor disappear from under his feet. "Aaaahhhhh! What's going on?! Oba-San!" the boy cried, now floating in an empty white space. "It's alright, do not be afraid young Hiroshi Yagami." A voice began. "Wh-who are you?! What's going on! Where's my Oba-San!?" Hiroshi demanded, as, opposed to what the voice said, he began to freak out massively. In fact he began having a panic attack. The black-haired boy could feel his chest tightening as he hyperventilated and he began to feel like he was being crushed.

"Hiroshi Yagami! Calm down now!" the voice ordered so sharply that he took a deep breath out of shock. Once he was breathing normally, the voice continued, "that's better, now, in order, I can't explain who I am yet, just know that you can trust me. What's happening right now is that I need to speak with you, and currently this is the only way. And thirdly, your Grandmother is in exactly the same place she was when you came here, at exactly the same point in time, understand?" the voice explained. Hiroshi gulped and took a deep shuddering breath, "I-I think so" he breathed. "Good, now let's move on shall we?" the person continued. The black-haired boy nodded slightly, though he had no idea if this being could even see him. "Okay, first off, I have come to reveal to you your destiny". Hiroshi blinked, "my destiny?" he muttered softly.

"Yes. You already know of the Digital World correct?" the voice asked. The Yagami nodded, "yes, I watch an Anime about it all the time" he replied. "Well, the Digital World is more real than you think" the voice said. Hiroshi blinked, "you mean the Digital World is a real place with real Digimon living there?" he asked. "Yes, however, now a great evil is threatening it. As the Digital World is linked to your own, if it is damaged, this world will suffer too, and if that evil Digimon manages to take over the Digital World, your own world will be next" the mysterious voice explained. "That's where you come in- you are a Digidestined Hiroshi. You and five other children must go to the Digital World, defeat this Evil Digimon and save both worlds. Of course you'll have each other to rely on as well as your Digimon Partners" the unknown voice said.

Suddenly a large green and cream coloured Digi-egg appeared in front of the boy, along with an orange and white Digivice with a long white handle. Hiroshi reached out to take the Digi-egg into his arms before grabbing the Digivice. The black-haired boy held onto his Digi-egg tightly, _'it's so warm'_ he thought. "Good luck to all of you children, be ready, you will go to the Digital World soon" the voice said, before the world popped back into existence again. Hiroshi fell to the ground, though thankfully he had a carpet, so his landing wasn't as painful as it could have been. Looking down at the Digivice in his hand and the large Digiegg, he wondered how in the world he was going to tell his Grandmother.

**_Ð_**

A little while later, Mikami called her Grandson downstairs for dinner. Hiroshi glanced down at the Digiegg that he'd now wrapped up in blankets. He needed to tell her something. The problem was getting her to understand all this Digital World stuff. The closest thing she used to a computer was a digital watch, since her eyes were starting to go. The boy knew that if he said nothing and just disappeared, the old woman would probably have a heart attack or something. As he walked downstairs, he thought hard on how to explain all of this. His Digivice was in his pocket, so maybe he could just tell his Oba-San about everything and show her the Digivice, maybe even show her his Digi-Egg too.

But first he had to have dinner, he was starving. When Hiroshi was at the table, after washing his hands, Mikami placed her food down in front of him. "Here you are dear, enjoy" the old woman said with a smile. Hiroshi smiled back, "Arigato Oba-San" he replied, before placing his hands together "thank you for the food" he said quietly, before both of them began to eat. The black-haired boy continued to try and think of what he was going to tell the old woman. After dinner, Hiroshi returned to his bedroom.

He couldn't figure out how to tell her, so he decided not to. At least for now. The boy sighed, pulling his Digivice from his pocket and looking down at his Digiegg. Well, he supposed that he could try to find the other Digidestined while waiting for his partner to hatch. Maybe his Digivice could help him find them? But how to use it? Hiroshi yawned. It _had _been a big day. The black-haired boy placed the device down and began to get ready for bed. Tomorrow was the Weekend. He would start looking for the others then.

After setting an alarm, the Yagami got into bed, already dreaming of his new friends.

To Be Continued


	7. Meeting

When Izumi Yukari woke up that morning, she smiled in excitement. Today was the day she began searching for the other Digidestined. Thankfully her Digivice, which she had decided to call the Digi-Dex, had a tracking function that picked up on anyone with another Digi-Dex. And so, she went about packing her bag. Mostly she had her house keys, money for her lunch and train tickets and her phone. As Izumi pulled on her shoes in the Genkan, her mother came up behind her, carrying her daughter's Digi-egg, "are you sure you don't want me to drive you dear? You won't get lost or forget where you're going, right?" Nora Yukari asked. The blue-haired girl looked up at her mother, "it'll be okay Mama, if I do end up needing help, I'll call you, plus I can look up Train timetables on my phone and use the GPS if I get lost. Please take care of my Partner's Digi-egg for me while I'm out okay?" she asked with a smile.

Nora frowned. All the things her daughter had mentioned were systems they had set up with Izumi's Doctor. It was much easier for her to get around now, but she still occasionally got lost. The Yukari sighed and smiled slightly, "okay, I'll take good care of it- be safe Izu-Chan" she replied with a wave. Izumi smiled back, "I'm going now!" she called as she opened the door. "Have a good day dear!" her mother continued waving until Izumi was gone. The brown-haired woman sighed and looked down at the large egg in her arms with a frown, "I hope I'm doing the right thing" she said softly, rubbing the egg in circular motions like her daughter had told her to.

**_Ð_**

After doing her chores for the morning, Koko placed her Digi-egg and Digivice into her old bag, hoping that the material would hold up under the weight of her partners egg, before pulling her shoes on. As she left, the red-haired girl waved to the Matron, "I've done all my chores, I'm going to play in the park for a while" she explained. It wasn't even technically a lie. She was going to the park. All the Digidestined were children. What better place to start looking for her future teammates than the park? The woman nodded, "just make sure you're not out too long Koko" she replied, not even glancing up. As Koko left, a few of the older orphans who always bullied the younger ones snickered to themselves as they followed the young girl silently.

**_Ð_**

Kirin Uchiwa snuck out of his house. His plan was ingenious. He had a bag full of Homework from School as well as a lunch the family cooks had prepared for him. Buried under the paper, textbooks and other School supplies was his Digi-egg and Digivice. Noone would suspect a thing, and even if they did, his excuse of wanting to study out in the fresh air and sunlight was brilliant as far as he was concerned. With the help of some of his favoured servants, Kirin was soon out of the Mansion and on the way to the park to begin looking for any of the other Digidestined.

**_Ð_**

Shiro Yuka was at the mall, _"discreetly"_ looking for any of the other Digidestined. Note her idea of discreet was wearing a white coat over her usual outfit with a large shoulder bag that held her Digiegg draped over her shoulders. She didn't know what any of the others looked like, but she was sure _something_ would stand out to her.

**_Ð_**

Mark also had to almost sneak out of his house, but after he managed to get out, the dark-skinned boy headed to the park. Lots of children would be there by now, a perfect time to begin his search for the other Digidestined. With his unhatched partner in his bag, mark climbed on a bus that would go right by the park. "Okay, let's go!" he muttered to himself.

**_Ð_**

As Hiroshi walked towards the park, his thoughts weren't as focused on his search efforts as he would like. He still hadn't found a way to tell his Grandmother about the whole "Digidestined" thing. He knew he had to tell her, but he just couldn't figure out how. Then again, if just went to the Digital World without telling the old woman, it would just hurt her more. After all, Mikami-Oba-San had already lost her son and daughter-in-law, he was sure that she would be worried that she would lose him too. Hiroshi sighed, adjusting his back-pack and the Digi-egg inside it slightly. Feeling the by now, more familiar weight, the boy grew slightly more determined, _'I have to focus, who knows how long it will take me to find them,' _he thought.

Soon the park was in sight, and Hiroshi pulled out his Digivice. Suddenly the screen lit up. Five blue blinking dots were moving towards the park. The black-haired boy gasped in realisation, "is that-" he took off running, "they're close! I'm gonna miss them!" he cried, not caring if he sounded like a crazy person.

**_Ð_**

Meanwhile, Izumi had discovered the same thing and had also taken off running from the closest bus stop to the park. "I can't believe it! We're all heading to the park, or close to it! This might be easier than I thought!" the blue-haired girl exclaimed. She surely drew a lot of strange or disapproving looks, but the girl was focused. They were all so close to finding each other. When she finally reached the park, the blue-haired girl bent over, gasping for air. "Izumi?" a familiar voice called from nearby. She shot up and whirled around, spotting a confused Mark walking towards her. "Kain-San?" she asked. "Oh, sorry, I forgot, um, Yukari-San- did you come here to play?" the brown-skinned boy asked.

"Um-" Izumi froze. What was she supposed to say here? She shuffled slightly, suddenly immanently aware of the Digivice in her hand. She quickly stuffed it in her pants pocket, but Mark had seen it, "what's that?" he asked. In her attempts to find anything else to talk about, Izumi's gaze found the Digivice that her friend was still holding himself, "isn't that-?" the Yukari began. Mark flinched, "um-" the boy stuttered, unintentionally mimicking the girl in front of him. _'What am I supposed to say? What if she thinks I'm insane? Wait, did Izumi just have a Digivice too?' _he thought. While the sandy blond was deep in thought, Shiro and Kirin had reached the park. The Albino girl glanced from her Digivice Screen to the people in the park.

According to the signals this thing was picking up, two other Digidestined were right on top of each other, while another was very close to all of them. Shiro walked a bit further in. The closer she got to a couple of children her age who seemed to be talking, the closer she got to the two blinking dots. The white-haired girl looked over at the blue-haired girl and the dark-skinned boy in thought, "is that them?" she murmured to herself. Deciding to check the other two children, Shiro walked towards them. Meanwhile, Kirin looked around the park. The Uchiwa adjusted his glasses and checked his Digivice. Three of the blinking dots were now very close to each other. Looking up, he saw a blue-haired kid with a dark-skinned kid while a white-haired girl walked over to them. Deciding to take a look, the young Uchiwa moved closer.

**_Ð_**

Koko finally reached the park, and her Digivices screen was lit up with a cluster of bright dots all grouped together. Looking around, the red-haired girl found a group of at least four children standing together. Deciding this was her best bet, the orphan was about to head towards the other children, when suddenly she felt a large hand on her shoulder and a voice that caused her eyes to widen in fear began to speak, "hey, brat!" Koko gasped and turned to look behind her with a look of terrified knowing on her face. And sure enough, behind her was a group of three older boys who also lived at the orphanage. These three liked to tease her, bully her and generally make life even more miserable for her than it was.

"Well, well, well, look who it is guys. The useless kid that no one wants!" the leader exclaimed. The red-haired girl gritted her teeth. It was what they always said. And it always got worse with each year that she spent in the orphanage. But she knew that this boy, Yuka, had been in that building almost as long as she had. At six years, he had long since given up hope himself. But unlike her, he covered his hopelessness with anger. And he took out that anger on the younger children in the orphanage. "Heh, what're you doing Useless? Did I tell you that you could come out here?" the bully asked. Koko looked at the boy, "Akihito, do you need something?" she asked, "if not, you and you friends can go home- I'm sure Matron Lilly has chores that you can do" she said. Koko was use to the boy picking on her and the other kids, and she was used to Akihito causing trouble, but he seemed to genuinely care about their caretaker.

The ginger boy growled and grabbed the girl by the front of her dress, "what did you say brat!?" he yelled, getting angry now. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" a male voice called out. The three boys turned and looked behind them. Standing there was a boy with short black spikey hair. Hiroshi wasn't even sure why he was drawing attention to himself. Usually he hated this kind of attention. But he couldn't ignore another kid who was in trouble. And if his Digivice was correct, then this girl was a Digidestined like him. Akihito smirked, "oh? What're you gonna do about it?" he asked. Suddenly the other group of children came running over, "hey! What's going on over here?!" the blue-haired girl demanded. Finding themselves outnumbered, Akihito released his grip on Koko's dress, "huh, whatever, I have better things to do than hang around with a bunch of losers" the orange-haired boy scoffed, walking off with his friends.

Hiroshi turned to the young red-haired girl, "are you okay?" he asked. Before she could answer, everyone's bags began to glow and suddenly every child was enveloped in light. The voice each of the Digidestined had heard when they got their Digi-eggs and Digivices, suddenly spoke from everywhere, "it is time Digidestined, for you to fulfil your destinies". After that the light grew even brighter, knocking them all out.

To Be Continued


	8. Finally, the Digital World!

Izumi groaned as she woke up, "ow, what hit me?" she asked, rubbing her head. Suddenly she heard a squeaking noise next to her. Blinking, the blue-haired girl looked down. In front of her was a white jellyfish type creature. She stared, open-mouthed. Bending down, she picked up the little creature that she recognised as a Digimon. "You- you're a Poyomon, right?" she asked. The Poyomon began jumping in her hands and squeaking excitedly. "You're, my partner, aren't you?" Izumi asked. The Digimon bobbed up and down in a nod. Tears gathered in Izumi's eyes, "I'm, I'm Izumi Yukari- I'm your Digidestined partner. I've been waiting to meet you for so long Poyomon" she said happily. The Baby Digimon squeaked more in happiness.

The blue-haired girl giggled, before calming down, "Poyomon, I need to look for the others now, will you be scared if I stand up? It won't be too high for you?" Izumi asked. The Jellyfish Digimon blinked, then shook it's- body. The girl smiled, "okay then, let's go" she said. As the 12 year old stood, she looked around, "okay, so, where would the others be?" she wondered aloud. Suddenly a scream broke through the forest. Izumi gasped, bringing Poyomon closer to her chest, then running through the forest. As she ran, the girl looked around for whoever was screaming- or whatever could be making the other girl scream. Soon enough the Yukari reached a clearing. Izumi looked around in confusion, before the same voice from before called out: "help! Up here!" the 12 year old looked up to find the white-haired girl from before dangling from a tree branch by her skirt.

The blue-haired girl gasped, "oh my god!" she exclaimed, running over to the tree, "stay there! I'm coming!" she cried out. "I'm not exactly ready to go shopping!" the Albino yelled indignantly. Then Izumi began to try and climb the tree, with Poyomon on her head. As she climbed, the young girl heard another voice: "hold on Shiro, I've got you!" it said. As she climbed higher, Izumi caught sight of something small and pink on the tree above them. Soon she made out the shape of the creature. It looked like a small pink rabbit. One with a darker pink scarf around it's neck. "H-help me, please! I don't wanna die!" the girl, Shiro cried out to her as she got closer, "don't worry, just try and stay still!" Izumi replied, trying to keep the girl calm. Soon she got high enough to grab the other girl's hand.

It was at that point that the Albino's skirt completely ripped. Shiro screamed as she fell through the air. The pink rabbit Digimon covered her eyes, unable to look. Thankfully, Izumi had a tight grip on Shiro's hand. "I've got you! I've got you! You're okay, just hold on tight!" the blue-haired girl called. Shiro looked around as she dangled in mid-air, "What do we do now?!" she cried out. The blue-haired girl looked around, while Poyomon did the same, "*groan* I don't know, but I can't hold on forever, grr, someone! Help us!" Izumi cried, hoping someone could hear her. Suddenly a large black and purple bird flew up, "do you need help?" it asked. "_Y_e_s_!" both girls cried at the same time. The bird flew underneath the two girls, and Izumi released Shiro onto it's back, sighing in relief. Izumi then climbed down to a more stable part of the tree to rest, and sighed with relief, that had been too close.

"Shiro! Is Shiro okay?!" the pink rabbit Digimon called down. The blue-haired girl looked back up at it, "yes, she's fine now, why don't you come down?" she called back. As the other Digimon began it's decent, Izumi picked Poyomon up from her head and looked at it, "well, that was _exciting_ don't you think?" she asked sarcastically, before sighing in relief, "I'm just glad that no one got hurt" she muttered, laying back and closing her eyes in order to rest for a moment. "Hey!" a familiar voice called from the ground, "Yukari-San! Are you coming down or what!?" The blue-haired girl looked down, her eyes widening, "Mark! Is that you?!" she called back. "Yeah, do you need help?!" Mark asked. "It would be appreciated, since I'd rather not break my neck on my first day in the Digital World!" Izumi replied. Their was a rustling sound and the large bird Digimon from before flew up to the girl, "I am supposed to be a Ninja, but I suppose that if I really must help you get down this way, then there's nothing else to do" it said. Izumi dropped onto the bird's back and sighed in relief again when it began descending at a comfortable rate.

The blue-haired girl looked down at the Digimon, "um, what kind of Digimon are you?" she asked, "why do you want to know?" it asked. "Well I wanted to thank you properly, I can't do that without knowing your name?" Izumi replied. "Oh," the Bird paused for a moment, (but continued flying down) "I am Falcomon, thank you for the consideration" he replied. Izumi smiled, "not at all Falcomon, thank you for saving us" she said with a smile while bowing her head. Soon enough the three reached the ground. Izumi flopped onto the grass, "ah! That's much better than dangling in mid-air" she sighed happily. Poyomon bounced near her head, making the blue-haired girl smile and sit up. Looking around, she saw the white-haired girl with the Rabbit Digimon by her side.

The Albino looked embarrassed, but still shuffled forwards, "um, I thought I was going to die, and you risked your own life to get me down, so-" she paused and bowed, "thank you very much!" she exclaimed, seeming to be flustered. The blue-haired girl raised her hands, "oh, uh, no, no, you don't need to thank me, I just- I, ah, I wanted to help you and stuff- I mean it's not like I could just let you fall to your death or anything, I just- *sigh* don't worry about it, okay?" she stammered, turning around and shaking her head. She had never been good with social interaction. She would help people who were in danger or who needed help, but actually interacting with them after? Yeah, she wasn't so great at that part. Mostly due to her Aspergers. "Hey! Can anyone hear me!?" someone called, another girl by the sounds of it.

"Someone else is here?" Shiro asked. "She might be in trouble like you were! Come on!" Mark cried. They rushed off, with the white-haired girl lagging behind, "wait! *groan* These shoes are defiantly not for running in!" she exclaimed, trying to run while also not tripping over, or having the big rip in her skirt show anything indecent.

**_Ð_**

Koko's landing had not been good. She'd landed in a forest that was growing at a decline, her momentum had caused her to go rolling down it, then suddenly she was gripping a tree root and dangling over a very deep ravine. Importunely, her descent through large tree branches and sharp rocks wasn't without injury. She'd cut her arm pretty badly and with the angle her foot was hanging, she was sure her ankle was broken. The red-haired girl had had the wind knocked out of her in her fall, so it took a moment to get it back after she'd grabbed hold of a tree branch to stop her fall. When she had she'd screamed: "help!" No one had answered, so she'd kept calling. At this point the blood had begun to trail down her injured arm and it had started going numb.

Tears welling in her eyes, Koko screamed with all her might: "hey! Can anyone hear me!?" As she hung there, the Nine-year old began to sob in terror and pain, "someone please!" she cried. That was when a large bird with a trail of rope in it's beak flew down to her, "just hold on! We'll save you!" a girl's voice called from the top of the cliff. "Please, I can't hold on much longer!" the red-haired young girl cried. Suddenly she felt something tighten around her waist. Koko looked down and saw the rope tied around her waist. "Okay, we're going to pull you up, but you have to climb up as well!" the voice called. "I can't! one of my arms and legs are hurt, I can't move them!" Koko replied, terrified for her life. "You'll have to try with your other arm and leg then, we need you to help us!" a boy called. More tears fell from the red-haired girl's eyes, "I'm scared!" she sobbed. "Hey!" a different girls voice called from above her, "I landed in this place in a tree. I thought I was going to fall a die, but these people saved me! I promise we'll save you too, but you have to try to help!" she explained.

Koko's arms and legs were shaking from the loss of blood, but she needed to try something, otherwise she'd die, "okay! Okay, I-I'll try to climb up!" she called back shakily. She was beginning to feel light headed, but she had to try. Using her good arm and leg, the small girl tried to push/pull herself upwards in time with the rope. It wasn't easy, but she did seem to be making progress, so she continued. "That's it, you're doing it! Just a bit more, and you're up!" the girl called as she worked her weak arms and legs to keep going. Suddenly the stone underneath her foot broke and she fell a bit. Koko screamed, but the rope held, "it's okay, it's okay, you're almost there, keep going!" the girl called "I can't! my arms and legs won't move, they feel so heavy!" the orphan cried, tearing up again. She lost too much blood from her injuries.

Up above, Izumi, Shiro and Mark looked at each other, "what now?" the Aboriginal boy asked. "I don't know, none of our Digimon has abilities that could help here!" Shiro replied. "Maybe we should just walk backwards with the rope, so that it draws her upwards that way?" Izumi suggested. The other two shrugged, not like either of them had any better ideas. Izumi turned back toward the cliff, "okay! We're going to start walking backwards to pull you up. You try to keep from getting even more hurt, okay?!" she said. "R-right!" the girl replied. They went a bit at a time, pulling the girl up, while who they assumed was her Digimon Partner, a small black Digimon with yellow dot eyes and a small sprout coming from it's head, watched what was happening with what was probably intense focus. They couldn't really tell with the Digimon's blank stare.

Eventually, the group was able to get the small girl up and onto solid ground again. However, she didn't look good. Her arm had a deep gash in it which was bleeding profusely, and her left ankle, which she was careful not to put any weight on, seemed to be broken. The small black seed-like Digimon, whimpered when it saw it's human partner like this. Izumi looked around, "we need something to bandage it with- Shiro, I need you to find me at least one, at most two long pieces of wood, branches, whatever it is, just something long and sturdy". The other girl nodded and stood up, with her rabbit-like partner following behind. "Mark, you wouldn't happen to have any bandages or bandage-like strips of fabric in your bag, would you?" Izumi asked, turning to the Aboriginal boy.

He dug into his back, "um, oh! I have a blanket that I was using as bedding for my Digimon when he was still in his egg- I wasn't sure if it would be too cold otherwise, or even if that would be a problem, so I just brought it" he handed over the blanket. "This will do" Izumi replied with a nod, before she began tearing it into long strips of fabric. Tying it tightly around the younger girl arm, she finished up just as Shiro returned with two sticks. The blue-haired girl looked them over and nodded, "these looks good, thanks" she replied and went to work on reinforcing the red-heads ankle. The others looked amazed, "how do you know how to do that?" the rabbit-like Digimon asked in awe.  
"My Oba-San was a Nurse when she was younger, so she made sure I was taught basic First-Aid" Izumi replied.

After the bandages were secure, the blue-haired girl looked around, "she's going to need to rest for a while, let's find a place where we know people aren't going to be falling from" she declared. With Mark's help, the little girl was moved carefully and fairly quickly. As the group were searching for somewhere safe to rest, dark clouds began to roll in. "It looks like there's going to be a storm tonight, we should hurry!" Shiro called. Izumi nodded, "right, the last thing this girl needs is to get sick" she replied. The group found a cave soon after and began to set up camp. And it was a good thing they found it too, because no sooner had they entered the cave than the storm started. "Well, I guess we've found our camping spot for the night" Shiro sighed, "I just wish we had something more comfortable to sleep on than rocks!" she complained. After making sure the younger girl was, if not _comfortable_ than not likely to hurt herself more, Izumi sat down, "just be grateful we're not out in _that_" she replied, gesturing to the storm that had started raging fiercely outside.

"Hey! Weren't their two other Digidestined besides us? Wouldn't they still be out there?" Mark asked, looking out into the rain. "If they were, then we should all hope that they managed to find shelter before the storm hit" Izumi said with a sigh. She began searching the cave floor. "What are you doing?" the rabbit Digimon asked. "I'm looking to sticks to start a campfire with, like I said, this girl isn't going to recover if she ends up catching Pneumonia" the blue-haired girl explained. Soon enough sticks had been found to start a weak fire. "Okay," Izumi said with a sigh, "that's about all I can do for now- what are we going to do while we wait for the storm to pass?" she asked. "Why don't we all introduce ourselves" Falcomon suggested. The Yukari nodded, "sounds like a good idea, so, I'll start if everyone doesn't mind?" she asked. When no one interjected, she began, "well, my name is Izumi Yukari, it's very nice to meet those I don't know already, and this is my Digimon partner, Poyomon" she said, introducing herself and her currently Baby Partner.

Mark smiled, "Izumi and I are classmates, but for those who don't know, my name is Mark Kain and me and my Tou-Chan recently moved to Japan from Austrailia, this is my partner Digimon Falcomon" the part-Aboriginal boy said. Shiro clasped her hands together, "My name is Shiro Yuka, and this is my partner Cutemon- also, does anyone here know how to sew? I would prefer not to be showing my undies to everyone whenever I bed over" the Albino girl introduced herself. The other conscious humans and Digimon sweat-dropped, "I know how to Yuka-San, I'll take care of your skirt after Kain-San goes to bed" she replied. The Australian boy cocked his head to the side, "you know, I'm pretty sure that if we're all Digidestined, we don't have to call each other by our last names or use honorifics. I mean, we're not in Japan anymore" Mark pointed out.

"Huh, okay then, I'll call you Mark-San and Shiro-San from now on" Izumi replied. "Um- Izumi, we just said we wouldn't be using honorifics while we were here, remember?" Shiro asked. Izumi blinked, "oh, sorry, I guess I'm just so used to using them all the time, it's a bit hard for me to remember" she replied. She looked around, "well it doesn't seem like the rain will stop anytime soon, why don't we sleep for the night, though someone will need to wake me every few hours so I can check on the other girl" she said. Cutemon nodded, "true, storms here can last anywhere from one minute to all night" she replied. Everyone soon went to bed, their thoughts straying to either the state of the other three Digidestined, their injured comrade or the family's they left behind in their world. But they all knew one think for sure: tomorrow would be another big day.

To Be Continued


	9. First Digivolution and healing

The next day the storm had stopped, so Mark went out to find food and fresh water. Izumi checked the red-haired girl's injuries, and afterwards, Shiro begged her to sew up the back of her skirt for her. The Digimon were jumping around, asking or squeaking for food. "Mark's gone out get some, don't worry, you'll all get breakfast soon" Izumi replied calmly. As she bemusedly sat down with the sewing needle and thread that the other girl had handed her, as well as the long pink skirt, the blue-haired girl wondered why Shiro had sewing supplies in her bag if she couldn't sew herself. It was this sight that Mark and a blond boy ran in on.

She may have had three-quarter length pants on, but in Shiro's mind, that was still naked. The Albino screamed, and started throwing whatever she could reach at the two boys. The red-haired girl whimpered and was in danger of aggravating her injuries further, so Izumi promptly kicked Mark and the blond out of the cave. That was how their second day in the Digital World began.

**_Ð_**

Koko whimpered as she slipped in and out of conscious, she hoped the pain would end soon. No one had noticed her brief returns to the waking world, and if they had, there was really nothing they could do about it anyway. She wished that she'd had a better landing, then maybe she wouldn't be in this mess.

**_Ð_**

Meanwhile, Izumi, along with Shiro were trying to lower the fever that the young girl had gotten due to her injuries. Nyokimon kept close to the red-haired girl, squeaking in worry and nuzzling her whenever she whimpered or gasped from the pain. Shiro flinched whenever the other girl cried out or she caught sight of Koko's injuries. She tried to concentrate on healing the younger child, but she was just very squeamish. Izumi kept focused, using whatever she could get to help the small girl. As she re-wrapped clean bandages around the red-haired girl, Mark and Kirin raced back inside the cave, yelling about a monster. Before any of the others could do anything, a loud roar broke through the stillness. The red-haired girl's eyes snapped open in feverish terror. "Hold her down, she'll hurt herself more if she starts freaking out!" Izumi demanded of the two boys.

Both Izumi and Shiro raced outside to find a huge Dinosaur Digimon bursting into the clearing. "That's an Allomon! A very dangerous dinosaur Digimon!" Cutemon explained. Suddenly Poyomon leapt in front of Izumi, with the rabbit-like Digimon doing the same, "Cutemon, what are you doing?!" Shiro demanded worriedly. "I'm protecting my partner" she replied. "Poyomon! But you're just a Baby! You can't fight that thing!" Izumi exclaimed. Suddenly the blue-haired girl's Digivice began to glow. Poyomon also began to glow and change in size and shape. "You're my Partner Izumi, I will do, what I have to- to keep you safe!" the glowing form began slowly, only to get more confident in her words as she changed until at last, the light faded and what was left was a white and ice-blue Patamon.

**_Ð_**

Both girls and Cutemon stared at the sight in front of them in awe. Izumi finally broke out of her shock, "P-Patamon! You Digivolved!" she exclaimed. The small, blue pig like Digimon glanced down at herself, before smiling, "alright you overgrown lizard, take-" IcePatamon had tried to take to the air, but as her wings were new, they didn't have enough muscle to lift her yet, "oh, uh, okay then, take this!" she cried, rushing forwards and body-slamming into the Dino Digimon. It had tried to bite at her, but the Patamon was far faster that her larger opponent, and was able to dodge the large jaws easily. Ice Patamon took a deep breath, "Frost Bubble!" she exclaimed, shooting what looked like a bubble made of ice. When it impacted with the Allomon, a thin layer of frost formed across it's skin in the area that had been hit. Allomon tried to bite at the winged pig, but Ice Patamon flew out of the way and inhaled: "Frost Bubble!" she cried.

The battle went on like this, before the Dinosaur Digimon shook itself and decided that this battle wasn't worth it. The blue Digimon turned and disappeared through the trees. Ice Patamon landed on the ground with a sigh, "phew, that was close, if I hadn't been and Ice type Digimon, that battle would have been much harder and longer than that, especially given that Allomon are Champion Digimon and I'm just a Rookie" she said to herself. "Patamon!" Izumi cried. Patamon turned to see her human Partner run up to her. "You- you're okay?" she asked, tears in her eyes, as she was worried that she would lose her new friend so soon after meeting her. The Rookie Level Digimon smiled at her, "of course Izumi, I'm perfectly fine, thank you for the energy earlier" She replied.

The blue-haired girl smiled with tears in her eyes and knelt down, taking her Partner into her arms, "you're welcome, just- make sure to warn me the next time you do something like that, okay?" she asked, trying and failing to hold back her tears.

**_Ð_**

Things were fairly quiet after that. The red-haired girl, whose name they'd learned was Koko, had fallen back to sleep, and was treated again, and everyone who was awake had lunch. After eating, the other Digimon congratulated IcePatamon on her Digivolving. "I think it'll be easier to just call me Patamon, otherwise it might get a bit much to say" the small blue Digimon replied. Izumi walked up to her partner, "we're going to have a rest after what happened earlier, do you want to come with me Patamon? Or are you okay to keep playing with the other baby Digimon?" she asked. The blue and white Digimon thought for a moment, "I might have a rest for a while, yeah, "thank you Izumi" she replied, flying up to perch on the girl's head with some effort. "Are you okay?" she asked, noticing the way her partner strained her wings and how she was now panting with exhaustion.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine- but I've only just got these wings, I need to put in a lot of effort to fly right now" she explained as she caught her breath. The young girl walked into the cave they'd been sleeping in recently, "but you didn't seem to find it had when you fought that Allomon?" she asked in confusion. 'Well yeah, that's 'cause I was running on adrenaline, I'll be fine after some rest and food" Patamon replied. The blue-haired girl smiled in understanding, "oh, okay then" she said. Izumi looked over at where Koko was now awake and sitting with Budmon next to her, slowly eating her food, probably in order to not aggravate her wounds. Izumi frowned at the small girl, "I hope she's going to be okay" she said quietly. "Hm?" Patamon asked, as the blue and white Digimon turned to look at the other girl too.

"Yeah, me too. She's had it rough since she got here, huh?" she replied. After lunch, Izumi changed Koko's bandages and checked her wounds. "Alright, you're healing nicely, and much quicker than I would have thought, but no strenuous exercise until you're fully healed, okay?" she asked. The red-haired girl nodded, "thank you for all your help Izumi-San" she replied with a small smile. Izumi suddenly gasped, "that's right, we all never properly introduced ourselves, did we?" she asked, before bowing slightly with a smile, "my name is Izumi Yukari, please just call me Izumi while we're in the Digital World," she said, "and this is my Partner Patamon" she introduced both herself and her Digimon partner. Shiro went next, "my name is Shiro Yuka, and this is my Digimon Partner Cutemon, isn't she cute?" the Albino said, giggling to herself. Next was Mark, "I'm Mark Kain, this is my Partner Falcomon" he introduced them. The blond went next "my name is Kirin Uchiwa, and this is my Partner YukimiBotamon" he said, patting the small white Digimon on her head. Koko smiled, "it's nice to meet you all, my name in Koko, and this is my Partner, Budmon- hold on, I thought there were six of us? Where's the last person?" she asked.

Everyone looked around, "oh no" Cutemon muttered, a sentiment shared by everyone, human or Digimon. "We need to get out there and look for them, they could be lost or hurt!" Kirin exclaimed worriedly. The others began standing up, but Izumi stepped in front of them, "hold on! I'm just as worried about the missing person as all of you, but if we all run out there, we'll be the one one's getting lost or hurt!" the blue-haired girl exclaimed. Everyone stopped and thought about this "she does have a point" Patamon agreed. "But then, what do we do?" Shiro asked. "We split into groups and each go a different way, while a few of us also stay here to keep an eye on Koko while she's still hurt. It'll also help if another situation like what happened earlier happens again, okay? Does that sound good to everyone?" she asked.

The other children began muttering to themselves, before Mark stepped forwards, "I agree with Izumi that it would be a better idea to use her plan rather than just running around like headless chickens" he said. Eventually the others agreed as well. It soon decided that Mark, Izumi and Shiro, with their Partners would go look for the missing Digidestined, as Patamon, being the only evolved Digimon in the group, had a much better chance of fighting off any attacking Digimon that they came across along the way. The others sat down around the cave to wait and keep an eye on Koko's injuries. Surely things would start getting better soon, right?

To Be Continued


	10. Hiroshi's Generosity

Hiroshi Yagami walked with his Digimon Partner in his arms. The baby Zerimon squeaked as he looked around. The spiky black-haired boy had been combing the forest for two days since he'd fallen out of the sky and into the Digital World. Hiroshi had landed in a lake and had had to scramble out when his Digi-egg hatched not a moment later to avoid drowning his Baby Partner. Thankfully that night he was able to make and light a campfire to keep them both from freezing. Of course, seeing the shy and scared Digimon at the edge of the clearing, Hiroshi had been unable to refuse them and had let them closer to the fire.

Unfortunately, that was when it started storming. The Yagami had been forced to pick up his partner and run for cover. Of course that hadn't helped them either dry off or warm up, and the two had spent a freezing night in the chilly and damp cave. Now the boy was coughing and stumbled as he walked, head heavy and dizzy from fever. Hiroshi shivered almost constantly, but knew that he had to keep walking. He had to find somewhere safe to rest. It wasn't surprising that he got sick so easily, he always had had a delicate immune system. That was why he'd never really gotten over his shyness. He'd stayed inside a lot, because even when he went outside, it didn't seem to help. He had tried to leave his Oba-San's house more often, to build up his immunity to sickness, but no matter what he caught, it never seemed to get better next time, only worse.

But even so, even with how sick he was, Hiroshi knew that he couldn't bare to leave someone who was in trouble. As he looked around with half-lidded eyes for any other humans, the boy began coughing again. His body was aching and he could barely breath. Dizzily, the black-haired boy tried to step over a tree branch, only to get his foot stuck and fall forwards, flinging Zerimon through the air in the process. The Baby squealed in panic as his partner collapsed to the ground in a heap, as he went rolling uncontrollably down a hill.

**_Ð_**

Meanwhile, Izumi, Mark and Shiro walked through the forest, looking for the sixth member of their group. "So, where do you think they are?" Shiro asked, being mindful of her skirt so that it wouldn't get torn again. Mark looked around, shielding his eyes from the bright sunlight that peeked through the trees, "I don't know, but if we find another human we'll know it's them" the Aboriginal boy replied. Izumi meanwhile, had Patamon fly up a bit further (as long as she was able to) to see if she could see anyone further ahead. The blue and white Digimon looked around, "I can't see anyone Izumi, are we sure they're around here?" she asked.

"My Digi-Dex says so, but I can't tell the actual location 'cause of all the trees" the girl replied. "Oh, we're never going to find them!" Shiro complained. "We will, I know our last teammate is out here, and I won't stop looking until we find them! What of they're in a similar or worse state that you were, or Koko was?" Izumi demanded. The quieted the Albino down some. The Yukari sighed, "we just, need something-" however before she could finish, she noticed a small green blur tumbling towards them. "What the-" Izumi began, shading her eyes to try and get a better look at the thing. "Z-z-z-z-z-eeeeeee-r-r-r-i-i-i-ii-i-i!" the blur cried as it tumbled towards them. "What is that?!" Shiro demanded, "we should run, right?" she asked in fear. But the blue-haired girl instead leapt forwards and caught the blur like a professional Football player.

"Izumi!" Mark cried, as she slowed down and stopped. The other two children ran up to the girl as she sat up and revealed what she had cradled in her arms. "What?" Shiro began. "A Digimon?" Mark continued, holding up his Digi-Dex and scanning the creature. "Zerimon," he read, "a Baby Slime Type Digimon. They're supposed to be very rare and born form the same Digi-egg as Conomon, another extremely rare Slime Type Digimon. What's it doing out here though?" Suddenly the Digimon began squeaking, pulled itself out of Izumi's arms, and started jumping around. "What's it doing?" Shiro asked. Cutemon stepped forwards, "hold on, let me see if I can figure out what he's saying" she said, kneeling down in front of the Baby, "hey now, shhh, calm down. We want to help you with whatever problem you have, but we can't understand you when you're too worked up, please calm down little one, so we can help?" she asked gently.

Thankfully the Baby Slime Digimon did calm down and began squeaking out it's message in a far less panicked manner soon enough. "Uh huh. okay- oh! That's not good! Don't worry, we'll help!" Cutemon replied when it seemed like the conversation had finished. The rabbit-like Digimon stood to her feet and addressed the others, "he said that his human Partner is very sick and collapsed. He ended up rolling away from him down a hill, but thankfully he managed to run into us!" Cutemon explained to those who couldn't understand the squeaking that made up the Digimon language at Baby level. Everyone gasped, before Izumi bent down and smiled at the little Digimon, "do you know the direction your partner is in?" she asked calmly. None of the others knew how she could keep so calm. Zerimon nodded her body and pointed his tail up at the hill that he had rolled down. "Well let's go! If the other Digidestined is so sick then we've gotta find them!" Mark cried.

The Digimon nodded their agreement. And so, the three humans and four Digimon began their assent.

**_Ð_**

Hiroshi was burning up when they finally found the boy. Izumi's eyes widened when she checked his condition. He was in an even worse state than Koko had been! They had to get him back to the cave quickly and get the poor boy dry and warm. Thankfully Falcomon was big enough to carry Hiroshi back himself. After tying the boy to the back of the large bird Digimon and placing Zerimon in his pocket, Falcomon took off as fast as was safe. The others all hurried back to their camp on foot, but there was no doubt they were worried. Very worried.

**_Ð_**

Back at the cave, Koko, who had made a remarkably quick recovery was on lookout with Nyokimon on her lap. No one wanted to give the Nine year old _too_ strenuous a job, so lookout it was. As the red-haired orphan sat at the mouth of the cave, she spotted something in the sky headed their way. Koko stood up and shielded her eyes to try and see better, before she gasped, "it's Falcomon! He's coming back this way!" she called. Kirin came up to the mouth of the cave with YukimiBotomon hopping along the ground beside him and adjusted his glasess to see better. He gasped, "you're right, it is Falcomon!" he replied, "oh, I hope they found the missing Digidestined" the blond continued. When the bird Digimon landed, Zerimon leapt out of his Partners pocket, beginning his frantic squeaking once more.

"Oh, shit!" Kirin cursed when he saw the boy's condition for himself. The blond began trying to untie the ropes, with his partner helping by chewing at them as much as she could. As soon as he was freed, the Uchiwa took the black-haired boy into his arms, before wincing. His skin was so hot and sweaty. They needed to get this fever down _fast_. The other boy was breathing harshly and flinching every now and then. Laying him down gently, Kirin turned towards Koko, "I need to go and find water to try and get his fever down, you stay here and keep an eye on him, okay, send Falcomon out if his condition gets worse," he turned to look at the Bird Digimon, "I know I'm not your human partner, but can I count on you to do this? It's very important. If his temperature gets much higher it'll cause lots of problems for his body, it could even kill him- and if humans die, they don't come back! Please, will you do this for us?" Kirin asked Falcomon. The Ninja-bird Digimon nodded solemnly.

The Uchiwa sighed in relief, "thank you" he replied. Then he picked up YukimiBotamon and hurried out of the cave. Koko sighed, _'it's only our second day here' _she thought to herself as she stared down at the black-haired boy who's breathing was shallow and quick. His face had a deep red stain across it, showing just how bad his fever was. She may not know this boy yet, but he was a Digidestined- one of her teammates and possible friends. She could only pray that he would pull through.

**_Ð_**

It was so hot. He was burning, always burning. Hiroshi wanted to sleep, but he kept burning. He wanted it to stop. Someone, please, help. Make it stop. He kept burning.

**_Ð_**

Kirin returned as quickly as he could and knelt down next to the black-haired boy who was breathing harshly. He poured some water over a cloth and began wiping the other boys exposed skin, "please get better. We need everyone to complete our mission. We might not know you, but we still need you!" the blond begged, adjusting his glasses, and beginning to wipe down the boys exposed skin, "you can get through this, we will all save the worlds!" Kirin exclaimed. Suddenly the boy opened his eyes, "I- know," he wheezed, "all I ever wanted, was to help people- I tried so hard to do that as much as possible" He coughed again, "just like my parents did when they were alive". Suddenly a bright purple light shone all around them. Kirin looked around in shock. The boy opened his eyes slightly and Zerimon began jumping around in excitement.

Suddenly a purple Crest came sliding out of the wall, just like in the Anime. It floated towards the boy, who reached his hand up and took it. The light brightened, and Zerimon began to glow as well, "Zerimon, Digivolve too…. Gummymon!" the baby Digimon exclaimed as he Digivolved to his In-training stage. Both boys stared in amazement as the light died down and they could see the newly Digivolved Digimon. It looked just like Zerimon, except this Digimon didn't have a tail and it now had a body, well sort of anyway. It also had two small floppy ears on the sides of it's head. The boy smiled, "h-hi. I'm, Hiroshi" he said softly, picking up his Partner. Gummymon smiled, "I know, I'm glad you're feeling better now Hiroshi" he replied. "Better- ah!" it was true, his aches and pains were gone and he didn't feel as hot as he had, but he was still a bit sick.

"As much as I'm happy for you and Gummymon, you need to rest Hiroshi, lay back down now, okay?" Kirin asked, YukimiBotamon nodding as well. Hiroshi lay back down with Gummymon by his side, "thank you for taking care of me" he replied, before closing his eyes and letting a much more restful sleep take him again.

To Be Continued


	11. Exploration and Selflessness

After Koko and Hiroshi had recovered enough, the group discussed what to do next. "I think we should stay here where it's safe and defendable, at least until all our partners are at Rookie level" Kirin said. "I agree with that, I don't want to be trudging through the forest when there are who-knows-what-kind-of-Digimon nearby. Yeah, maybe some of our Digimon have Digivolved, but not all of them, and we have no idea how long it will be until they do- not to mention the food situation" Shiro added. Some of the other children looked at the white-haired girl in shock. "What? I'm not stupid you know!" she replied indignantly. "Okay," Mark continued, "do you two feel okay to travel?" he asked, addressing Koko and Hiroshi. The two children nodded, "we should be okay for now" Koko replied, being helped up by the others and or their Digimon Partners.

The six set off, curious to explore whatever part of the Digital World it was they were currently in. Patamon sat on Izumi's hat, sometimes leaping off and flying as far as she could in order to make her wings stronger. Hiroshi glanced between the blue and white Digimon and Gummymon, who was perched on his backpack. He couldn't help but wonder why her Partner had Digivolved so quickly, when his hadn't- even though he was the one who'd found his Crest. It wasn't that he was jealous or anything like that. Just confused. The blue-haired girl's baby Digimon had Digivolved two levels by herself, however- Zerrimon, who had Digivolved as a response to him finding his Crest of Genorosity, had only got to his In-Training form.

It just didn't make any sense. Hiroshi then mentally shrugged his shoulders, whatever, it's not like he really cared who Digivolved more or anything like that. The boy only wished that he knew why and how it had happened. The group walked a fair distance before everyone stopped for a rest. The Digimon told their partners that they were going to go look for food for themselves, so they would only have to worry about their own food stock. Making sure to keep and eye on their Digi-Dex's screens so that they knew where their Digimon were, the children went about having lunch. Koko looked around and shifted uncomfortably. It wasn't that she was still hurt, but the soreness was still persisting, and no matter what she did it wouldn't go away.

Budmon sat in the young girl's bag. She looked in worry at her human partner. The young girl was still very sore, even though she tried not to show it. She was used to taking care of herself. Whenever she was sore in the orphanage, the Matron still had her do her chores like everyone else. When she felt sick, she might be expected to do less and allowed to get more rest, but she still felt like that was causing problems by making other people look after her. Right now, Koko was determined not to drag the others down with her, and silently endured the aches and pains throughout her body. After a while they began walking again, but as she walked her breath got shallower and shallower, while a sharp pain grew in her chest. The Nine year old was afraid that she would collapse if she didn't stop soon. "Okay, let's take another break everyone!" Izumi called.

The red-haired girl felt her legs give way beneath her now that she wasn't forcing them to keep moving. She gasped, rubbing her chest and trying to calm her breathing. The Digimon went off, and soon returned with food for everyone. Budmon hopped over to Koko with some fruit, frowning in worry when she saw that the small girl was still breathing hard and leaning against a tree for support. The Baby Digimon squeaked and nudged her Partner. The red-haired girl opened her eyes and smiled slightly, when she saw the fruit. Koko took the food before patting Budmon on the head. She took small even bites of food and chewed slowly to make sure that she would be able to swallow it. They rested for a while. Thankfully, Koko was able to regain her strength fairly quickly.

However when she went to get up, she found her body refused to support her weight. Before she could get annoyed, a hand entered her field of vision. The small girl's eyes travelled up along a red jacket-clad arm to the smiling face of Kirin Uchiwa, "would you like some help Koko-Chan?" he asked, YukimiBotamon sitting on his shoulder. The younger girl smiled at the blond boy, "thank you Kirin, I'd appreciate your help" she replied breathlessly. Upon helping the girl up, Koko nearly fell again, and Kirin's arm reached out and caught her, "woah, careful!" he cried. After she was steadied, the young girl smiled again up at Kirin, "thank you again" she said. Soon the children were off again. Looking around, the group saw many different things in among the trees.

Shiro spotted an ice-cream truck parked in the middle of the forest, "*Gasp*! Ice Cream!" she cried and ran up to it, along with most of the other children. But when they stopped in front of it, they found that the vehicle was empty, "what! But I wanted ice cream!" the white-haired girl complained. "Why is there an empty ice cream truck out her in the forest?" Kirin asked. "It must be for the same reason there were telephone booths, tram trollys and power lines that went into the ground in the Digital World from the Anime" Mark pointed out. Izumi nodded, "makes as much sense as anything" she replied. "So what should we do now? Just keep walking?" Hiroshi asked. Kirin shrugged "what else can we do?" he asked. Suddenly a rumbling was heard before the ground began to shake, "an Earthquake!?" Shiro cried, before something large exploded out of the ground in front of them, causing all the kids to go tumbling back. Looking up, they spotted a large mole-looking Digimon with a drill for a nose.

"Oh rats, it's a Drimogimon!" Falcomon exclaimed. The Digimon growled and began attacking, causing all the kids to scream and cower under anything they could use as shelter. Koko was breathing hard, her heart pounding. The Drill Digimon attacked the children again, before turning to look directly at her. The red-haired girl whimpered, clutching Budmon close to her. Suddenly a voice called out: "Supersonic Wave!" a piercing noise filled the air and Koko clapped her hands over her ears. Forcing her eyes open, she saw Shiro standing behind Cutemon, who was the one creating the sound. It wasn't aimed at her, so she wasn't getting nearly as much of the noise as the Drimogimon. The sound seemed to be driving the creature even more crazy than before, and it turned toward the Albino and rabbit Digimon. "Drill Spin!" it cried, firing up it's drill and charging at the girl and her Partner.

"Shiro!" Koko screamed, watching the older girl as she froze in terror. The young girl ran towards the other Digidestined without thinking, leaving her baby partner to watch, horrified as his new family ran towards the danger. Suddenly the ground under the Drimojimon began to crack. All the children gasped, and began crying out to the two girls to get out of the way before it was too late. Just as Koko reached Shiro and Cutemon the ground beneath all four of the them collapsed completely, leaving four horrified kids and five horrified Digimon. They stood, shocked for a moment, then everyone began panicking at once, with Budmon screaming and sobbing for her partner.

**_Ð_**

Koko slowly opened her eyes, before gasping and whimpering in pain. She remembered what had happened, and was surprised that she wasn't dead. The pain should have been her first clue though. The left side of her chest burned with a sharp stabbing pain and she gasped as just moving sent a lance of white-hot agony through her chest. Keeping her body as still as possible, Koko turned her head to look around. As her eyes adjusted to the near-complete lack of light, she realised that she seemed to be in some kind of underground tunnel, if the lack of light, rock walls and stale air was anything to go off. Koko coughed as she breathed in some of the dust in the place. The sound echoed around in the empty tunnel. "Hello! Is anyone there!?" a familiar voice called.

Looking around, the young girl spotted a shape in the darkness, one that was moving towards her, "Wh-who's their!?" she demanded, groaning when calling out jarred her ribs. Suddenly something small darted forwards, causing Koko to flinch, but she calmed when she spotted the dark pink of Cutemon's muffler. "*Gasp!" Koko!" the rabbit-like Digimon cried when she saw the state of her friend, "stay there! Don't move, okay!" she ordered, before turning and running back the way she'd come. Koko panted for breath, _'where does she think I'm gonna go, Tokyo?' _she thought sarcastically. Soon the distinctive figure of Shiro came running back down the tunnel with Cutemon leading her. "Oh my god! Koko!" the white-haired girl cried in horror when she saw the other girl laying there.

"Shiro, _*pant* _I-I think some of my ribs might be broken, _*gasp*_" Koko told the other girl. "W-what do we do? Aren't you supposed to leave people with broken bones were they are?" the Yuka asked worriedly. "That only applies if- _*cough*_ you have a concussion" Koko replied, breathing becoming harder for her. "O-okay then, Cutemon, go find a good place for Koko-Chan to rest" Shiro replied, getting ready to carefully lift the young orphan. The red-haired girl winced as the movement jarred her injury, but grit her teeth and didn't complain. As the Albino girl walked down the dark tunnel, with only the light from her Digivice to guide her and Koko in her arms, she blushed, "so, why did you save me like that?" she asked. The younger girl looked up at the older one. "You didn't have to, you could have just left me and run- so why?" she asked quietly. Koko looked out at the illuminated tunnel, "I couldn't just let you get hurt or worse," she began, Shiro listening quietly.

"When I saw that Drimojimon attack you, after you'd already risked yourselves to protect me- I realised that I couldn't just stand their and do nothing. No one's ever done that for me before" she muttered, but with the echo's of the tunnel, it was easily heard. Shiro looked down questioningly, "really?" she asked. Koko nodded, "yeah- I'm an Orphan, and though I live in an Orphanage, I've never really had the best luck with friends. People don't really help me that often, they usually ignore me" she explained. The Albino smiled, "and yet you don't hesitate to help others- you're a really good person Koko," her smiled faded slightly, "much more selfless than I am at any rate" she replied with a laugh. Koko smiled back, "of course, what kind of person would I be if I only ever cared about myself!" she replied.

Suddenly the two girls heard a loud noise. A very distinctive one at that. Cutemon came running back the way they were walking, "run! Drimojimon is that way!" she cried. Sure enough the Drill Digimon appeared again. Shiro took a step back, while Koko gasped. "This is defiantly not good- we've got no where to go but back the way we came, and Drimojimon would eventually catch up with us again eventually!" Cutemon cried. Shiro looked down at the Digivice in her hand and the injured young girl in her arms, before grimacing resolutely, "Cutemon, do you think you could hold him off long enough for us to escape?" she asked. The small pink Rabbit nodded, "of course, I may not be able to defeat the Champion Level Digimon by myself, especially since my kind don't Digivolve, but I can sure hold this over-grown mole back for a while!" Cutemon exclaimed.

The two humans nodded and began to carefully but quickly move away while Shiro's Partner took a deep breath, "Supersonic Wave!" she cried, making the high-pitched sound again to distract the rabbid Digimon. However, there was one problem with that. In a small enclosed space like a cave tunnel, sound waves echo like crazy. Shiro and Koko stopped in their tracks, clapping their hands over their ears in pain, "IT FEELS LIKE IT'S GRINDING MY BONES!" Koko screamed. "JUST HOLD ON!" Shiro replied. The echoing sound began to cause the ceiling of the cave to crack, before the Mole Digimon added to the damage as he began to thrash around in pain. Koko dug her nails into her scalp in an effort to deal with the painful noise, but nothing seemed to help.

Before it could get too bad, the Drimogimon dug another hole into the ground and disappeared. Cutemon stopped abruptly and the sound ended if for the echoes in the tunnel and the two girl's ears. All three were left panting, "well, let's not do that again any time soon, okay?" Koko asked. Before anyone could answer, the wall Drimogimon had been trashing against collapsed. "Great, just what we need, more falling rocks" Shiro complained. But as the dust settled, a bright French Rose light filled the space. Koko stared at the light, feeling drawn to it. She reached out her hand and the light reacted. It floated towards the red-haired orphan, before settling itself into her palm. The light faded, but before it was gone completely, Koko caught sight of a Crest with a purple swirl on it, like the Uzumaki Clan Crest from the Anime and Manga Naruto. She sometimes went to the library and read the Manga there.

As she looked at it, the light brightened, while her Digivice also began to glow and beep.

**_Ð_**

Up on the surface, Budmon had begun jumping up and down, squealing excitedly. Kirin looked down at her, but before she could ask what was wrong, a huge column of Magenta light shot out of the ground, and the plant Digimon began to glow, "Budmon Digivolve too….. Lalamon!" the In-Training Digimon called, Digivolving to her Rookie form. As the light of Digivolution faded, not only was Lalamon revealed, but the column of light also faded, revealing Shiro, Cutemon and- "Koko!" Lalamon exclaimed, leaping onto her partners arms, "I was so scared, I thought I'd lost you! But when that light came and I Digivolved, I knew that you were safe!" she exclaimed happily. Koko beamed and hugged her newly Digivolved partner, before showing off her Crest, "I found my Crest of Selflessness and the Light from the Crest blew away the rocks so we could climb back up!" she explained to everyone.

"The Drimogimon had fallen down there with us, but we managed to fight it off" Cutemon continued. "Wow, so now two of us have our Crests" Mark said, "I wonder when the rest of us will get ours?" he asked. "Let's just hope we won't need them for a while, are either of you two hurt?" Izumi asked. "I was, but my Crest healed me" Koko replied. "Alright, then we should get going, okay everyone?" the blue-haired girl asked. "What!? But I'm hungry now!" Shiro complained. Everyone let out a collective groan of annoyance.

To Be Continued


	12. Kirin's Kindness shines

As the children walked through the forest, Koko looked down at her crest with a smile, "I can't believe I found my Crest so soon, I thought I would be last if anything" she said to herself. Lalamon smiled up at her human partner, "I'm glad you're not hurt anymore Koko" she said. The red-haired girl nodded, "me too, having cracked or broken ribs, whichever one it was, was **not** fun!" she replied. Meanwhile, Izumi's Patamon flew circles around the group. "You've gotten much better at that" Gummymon commented. The ice-blue and white Digimon nodded, "uh-huh! I've been practicing!" she replied cheerfully, flying up and perching on Izumi's head behind her yellow visor. Shiro panted, "I, I need to stop!" she protested, sitting down and pulling off her shoes to rub her feet.

"Good idea actually, let's have lunch everyone!" Izumi decided. And so they had lunch the same way that had been doing recently. The Digimon went foraging and hunting for food for the group and the children worked on setting up a campfire for in case anything that had to be cooked was found. As the white-haired girl was rubbing her aching feet, Kirin walked up to where she was sitting, "are you alright Shiro?" the blond boy asked. The girl looked up and nodded, "oh, yeah, I-I'm fine- just not used to walking so much, you know? Heh, heh" she muttered, smiling sheepishly. The Uchiwa frowned, before Nyaromon began jumping up and down excitedly beside him, "the food is here! Come on Kirin!" she exclaimed, bouncing towards the fire. "Hey, wait Nyaromon! We have to wait for our turn!" the boy cried, running after his partner.

**_Ð_**

Soon enough the group was eating. The small cat-like In-training Digimon had been feeling energy well up inside of her for a few days now, but it had never been as strong as it had been now, hence why she was so energetic all the time. All she needed was one more push and- Nyaromon took a bite of the mushrooms they had all made sure was safe, before she began to glow. Kirin's Digivice also began to glow and beep, "Nyaromon Digivolve tooooo….. Salamon!" the now Rookie Holy Beast type Digimon exclaimed as the light faded and she was revealed to now be in her Rookie stage. Kirin stood up and adjusted his glasses in awe, "Nyaro- I-I mean Salamon! You Digivolved!" he exclaimed, picking up the dog-like Digimon in happiness.

Salamon giggled, "it was all thanks to you Kirin, thank you for being my Partner" she replied happily. "As excited as I am about your Digivolution Salamon, maybe we should finish eating before something happens to wreck our lunch" Izumi said bluntly. The Uchiwa blushed and sat back down, "sorry" he apologised. Patamon walked over to the other Holy Beast type Digimon, "no need to apologise, but maybe we could talk some time?" she said first to Kirin and then to the dog-like Digimon. Salamon smiled and gave a nod, before everyone went back to eating. However, just as the group were finished eating, something fell down from the sky, causing everyone to shriek and run away, in fear of being attacked by another Digimon, after the Drimojimon incident.

However, upon hearing a groan of pain, Kirin stopped and turned towards the dark lump that had fallen, before running back towards them, with Salamon following. When the young boy reached the unknown Digimon, he could hear it groaning more and the boy noticed how it was curled into a tight ball in pain. Falling to his knees, Kirin tried to talk to it, "hey, are you okay?" he asked softly, "can you hear me, or speak?" the boy asked slowly. The Digimon moved slightly, revealing pained light blue eyes, before wincing and closing them again. "He's a Wizardmon" Salamon said in slight shock. Turing to the others, the dog-like Digimon began to explain, "Wizardmon is a very special type of Digimon that is supposed to have come here from another Digital World, but because they are from a different world, they like to keep to themselves. Hardly anyone has ever seen one" she explained. Izumi nodded in understanding, having seen the show before.

Suddenly, the wizard Digimon woke up and moved, before crying out in agony. All the children gasped in shock, not expecting the badly hurt Digimon to have the strength to move around that much. Kirin quickly leaned over and placed his hands on Wizardmon's shoulders, "you have to stay still! If you try to move, you'll only hurt yourself more!" he exclaimed, Salamon attempting to help him. Izumi turned to the others, "alright, we need to heal Wizardmons wound and keep an eye out for what hurt him so badly- Mark, can you and Falcomon keep watch?" she asked. "I don't see why you need to ask, of course we will, right Mark?" the bird Digimon asked his Partner, who nodded in resolution.

The blue-haired girl turned to Shiro, "go see if you can find any water" she ordered. For once the Albino didn't argue and left quickly for Cutemon on her back. Izumi then turned to face Koko and Lalamon, "Lalamon, can you find me any long thick branches? His arm seems to be broken, and his leg is hurt too- we need to splint it before he hurts himself more" she said. The plant Digimon nodded and ran off. Koko was next, "keep an eye on him along with Kirin and Salamon, okay Koko?" the younger girl nodded. Last, Izumi went over to where she'd had Mark stand guard, "do you have any blanket left? I need something for bandages" she asked the boy. The Aboriginal nodded and handed her the torn up blanket so she could make more bandages for their injured guest. The young girl nodded at her friend, "thank you Mark" she replied, walking back over to Wizardmon, Koko, Kirin and Salamon.

Eventually, all of the Wizard Digimon's wounds were bandaged and he was sleeping soundly. It was a good thing Digimon heal so fast.

**_Ð_**

That night, Wizardmon slowly opened his eyes, lifting his arm up carefully. Yep, no pain. He was fully, or at least suitably healed now. Noticing the warmth around him, the wizard Digimon looked around. He was covered by a soft blanket and resting next to a fire. Looking to the other side, where he could feel warmth very close to his head, Wizardmon found a Salamon curled up and sleeping next to him. Relaxing, the Champion Level Digimon decided that he wasn't in any immediate danger, so he turned his attention to his other senses when he picked up on the sound of soft talking nearby. He heard a girl talking: "so, he's going to be okay then?" she asked. Another girl answered, "yes, thankfully, being a Digimon means that his rate of healing is sped up- he should be fine by tomorrow" she replied.

"That's good, I'm glad- Salamon's taken quite a liking to him, if anything happened, I don't want to know what kind of reaction she would have" a boy added. "What do you think happened to him though? Digimon don't normally fall from the sky for no reason you know, and he was hurt after all too" another female voice asked. It was silent for a moment, before another boy spoke up, "I don't know Patamon, but maybe we can find out when he wakes up" he replied. "Oh no you don't! you're not going to hound that poor Digimon with questions until I decide that he's properly recovered" the second girl demanded. "Woah their Izumi! No need to get worked up, of course we were going to let Wizardmon heal properly first!" a third girl tried to calm the first one, apparently named "Izumi". Huh, what a strange name.

It was then that he felt exhaustion claim him once again, and the world faded from his senses.

**_Ð_**

The next morning when Wizardmon woke up again, he found someone leaning over him. "Oh, good morning! I'm glad to see you're awake!" the blue-haired creature replied kindly with a smile. "_*Yaaaaawwn* _he's awake! Really?!" a female voice cried very close to him. Suddenly a small creature that looked vaugly familiar was within his range of vision, "are you okay? You crash-landed through the trees yesterday when we were having lunch" she explained. "I did? I guess that explains why I'm in so much pain" Wizardmon replied. "By the way, can I ask, what are you?" he asked. Salamon frowned, "I'm a Salamon, and you're a Wizardmon, right?" she asked. Wizardmon tilted his head to the side, the name sounded familiar, but- "is that what I am? I'm sorry, I'm just having a hard time remembering anything" he replied, scratching his head under his wizards hat.

The blue-haired girls eyes widened, "you can't remember anything?" she asked in worry. "Hmm" Wizardmon looked down in thought, trying to remember something- _anything_ from before waking up this morning, before he shook his head, "no, I'm afraid I can't" he replied. The girl suddenly turned around and called behind her, "guys, I think we need help over here!" Suddenly ten other creatures came over to where they were. One of then, with yellow hair came up to them, "what is it Salamon?" he (at least he thought the creature was a he) asked. Salamon pointed a paw at the other Digimon, "Wizardmon says he can't remember anything!" she exclaimed. "What!? You mean you have amnesia or something!?" One red-haired creature cried. The wizard Digimon rubbed the back of his head, "uh, yeah, I think so, maybe?" he replied in confusion.

The blond-haired boy who'd spoken to Salamon before then spoke up, "guys, if Wizardmon really can't remember anything, I don't think it would be a good idea to just send him off into the Digital World on his own, he could get deleted, and who's to say being deleted while having amnesia won't just make it worse when he comes back!" the boy said with a worried look on his face. "Well, we can't stay here forever Kirin, what do _you_ think we should do?" The blue haired girl asked. The boy, who's name was apparently Kirin picked Salamon up into his arms, "I say we bring him with us!" he proclaimed. Before anyone could say anything, a bright lavender light glowed at the blond boys feet. "What is that!" Wizardmon demanded, shocked at the sudden light. However, both Kirin and Salamon just looked in wonder as the light shrank and floated up into the air in front of the boy.

Kirin took hold of the glowing object the light grew, accompanied by the beeping of his Digivice, "Salamon, Digivolve too…. Gatomon!" the cat-like Champion exclaimed. Everyone stared in awe at their first Champion level Digimon. Gatomon smiled, a look shared by her human Partner, "we'll take Wizardmon with us and help him until he gets his memory back- and if any bad Digimon attack us, they'll just get a taste of my claws!" she said confidently, brandishing her gloves, which sported three wicked sharp claws on the ends of them. Izumi nodded, still slightly in shock, before turning back to face Wizardmon, "well you heard them, looks like you're going to be coming with us from now on Wizardmon" she stated. The human-like Digimon bowed his head, "thank you all for your kindness" he replied.

To Be Continued


	13. Evil appears! true Loyalty arises!

The next day once Izumi was sure that Wizardmon was fully healed, the group packed up and began traveling once more. The Wizard Digimon stuck close to Kirin and Gatomon, who was having trouble learning to walk on two legs. Heck! She'd barley learned to walk at all before she had Digivolved again, so it was no wonder. "Uh! Why do I even need to walk upright! I can still walk on all fours, right? Why can't I just keep doing that?" the cat Digimon asked in exasperation, as her tail got in the way of her back paws and tripped her up _again!_ "It's important to learn how to walk on two legs as well, what if we get attacked again sometime soon? You won't be able to even get away, let alone fight!" her human partner explained. Gatomon sighed, "fine, I get it, it's just annoying" she replied.

Izumi walked to the back of the group where the three were walking, "how's it going?" she asked. "Slowly, Gatomon is getting very frustrated though" Kirin replied. Suddenly the cat Digimon's fur bristled and she gasped, while Patamon flew back down to hide behind Izumi's head, "what is it, what's going on?" she asked. "Gatomon?!" Kirin asked, confused and alarmed when the cat Digimon began growling and hunching over with a wild look in her eyes, "he's coming" she muttered. Each of the Digimon, except for Gummymon, who was still only an In-Training level Digimon, began moving in front of their partners protectively, with those who had fur having it standing on end. "Who's coming Cutemon!?" Shiro demanded. "Something evil" Patamon replied instead. Wizardmom gripped his staff tightly, body tense- he recognised this feeling.

He may not remember anything, but he could definitely remember this suffocatingly evil power. Suddenly everything turned dark, and Koko screamed, clutching Lalamon tightly, "what's happening!?" she cried. All of a sudden, a huge wave of dark water came from out of nowhere. The children screamed as it crashed into them, leaving nothing behind but an empty forest.

**_Ð_**

"Izumi?! Izumi please wake up!" a familiar voice sobbed over and over again. The blue-haired girl groaned and turned her head, before opening her eyes. What she saw was a grey sky with Patamon looking down at her. Izumi sat up so quickly her head spun, and she placed a hand on it, "oh, my head- what happened Patamon? Where are we?" she asked. "A horrible place- it's called the Dark Ocean" Patamon replied. "What! Seriously!?" the blue-haired girl opened her eyes and looked around. They were indeed sitting on the shore of the Dark Ocean, with the water coming closer with each wave. "Ah!" Izumi cried, snatching her partner into her arms and moving as far away from the water as possible, "why are we here?! In the Dark Ocean, and where is everyone else?!" she demanded, shivering.

She knew about this place from the anime, and while she may not have a Dark Spore in her, she still wasn't going to touch that water, not after watching what it did to Ken Ichijouji. "I don't know how we got here Izumi, but we have to get out and find the others. This place has horrible properties, being able to take and increase any amount of darkness, dark emotions or evil in a person's heart. The longer we stay here, the more we'll be affected by it" Patamon explained. Izumi shuddered, "right, let's go!" she nodded and the two headed into the forest.

**_Ð_**

Kirin had woken up a little while ago, and upon finding himself and Gatomon in such a place, proceeded immediately to try and find a way out. Gatomon was held in his arms, whimpering and shivering, clinging desperately to her partner. The boy frowned, he guessed that as a light attributed Digimon, being in a place covered, maybe even _made _of Darkness was not good for her. Kirin himself was constantly shivering, the darkness an overwhelming presence that terrified him immensely. He wanted to get out, needed to, but everywhere he looked was more beach or forest, no sign of an exit. His partner clung to him like he was her lifeline, and maybe he was. Her claws digging into his skin wasn't exactly pleasant, but at least it kept him focused. Since they'd gotten here, he'd felt a numbing cold spread through him, making his movements sluggish. The blond shook his head again when his eyes began to droop, no, stay awake.

Kirin hadn't had time to watch much of the Digimon Anime before coming here, but he had looked up anything that seemed important about the Digital World. Including this place, The Dark Ocean. And the one who had been affected the most by it, Ken Ichijouji. Ken had been a holder of the Crest of Kindness too, but he had given in to the Darkness and Evil and it had corrupted him. Upon finding himself here, Kirin swore that he wouldn't be corrupted too. Even if that little voice in the back of his mind was whispering ever so invitingly to _'sleep, don't worry about the others, everything will be fine. You poor boy, you're so tired, aren't you- having to try to live up to your Tou-San's expectations. If you go to sleep, I can help you with that- I can make you a confident, amazing genius, who your Tou-San will be proud of. Isn't that what you want? For him to be proud and love you? Just sleep and I can make all your dreams come true'_.

The voice was so comforting and inviting, Kirin was having a hard time fighting against it. He _did_ work really hard. Maybe a rest wouldn't be a bad idea. The Uchiwa's eyes grew heavier and his steps slower. Gatomon noticed this with her acute sense of hearing and she opened her eyes and looked up at her partner, "Kirin?" she asked, before gasping. The boy's eyes, which were usually a bright Aqua blue, had become dull and his eyelids drooped. Kirin's feet suddenly couldn't support him anymore and he fell to his knees in the grey sand. "Kirin! No, snap out of it! Kirin look at me!" Gatomon cried, having fallen to the ground as well, but she stood quickly and took hold of her partners shoulder, shaking him and trying to get his attention. But the blond could only hear the voice in his head, _'Yes, that's right, I can give you everything you want, just come to me' _it whispered. Kirin turned his dull eyes over to the Dark Ocean itself. The boy stood up, slowly walking towards the water, Gatomon trying to stop him.

"Kirin, listen to me! You can't touch that water! Please, you've gotta stop!" she screamed, trying to push against his legs and stop his advance, but nothing seemed to work, even though she was a Champion level Digimon. She didn't want to hurt her partner, but, if she had to. Kirin was now only a few steps away from the water. The cat Digimon got ready to bite the boy's leg is the hope that the shock of pain would be enough to break him from his trance when- Izumi suddenly slammed into him, knocking them to the ground and purposely rolling them away from the water. "Izumi!" the familiar voice of Patamon cried as she came flying over to the two children. Now that she was sure that it was indeed Izumi, Gatomon ran over to the two children, "Kirin!" she cried, hoping desperately that her partner was okay and snapped out of whatever trance he'd been in.

Kirin groaned again and shook his head, rubbing it, "ow, what hit me?" he asked. "That was me, sorry about that, but you looked like you were hypnotised or something and you were walking towards the water. Both Patamon and I knew that we had to stop you, so I basically tackled you to the ground- sorry for hurting you Kirin" Izumi explained sheepishly. The blond boy smiled slightly, "no need to apologise, I'm grateful to you. I don't know what would have happened if I had touched that water, but it couldn't have been anything good- so really, thank you" he replied gratefully. Kirin stood up and moved away from the water again, "now, let's find the others and get the hell out of here!" he exclaimed. The others agreed whole-heartedly and they walked into the forest, moving away from the water.

**_Ð_**

As the two children walked, Kirin and Gatomon took turns explaining exactly what had happened when he had been walking towards the water with that dazed look in his eyes. "So a voice was talking to you in your head, telling you that you would basically get everything you wanted if you did?" Izumi asked. When the boy nodded, Izumi shivered slightly, "creepy" she muttered. "Whatever this this was, it knew about me, it told me that I could be a genius like my Tou-San wanted and make him proud of me finally. But that's not all I want. I want friends, true friends, not just the children of other business owners to create ties for my family- I want to have friends that care about me and like me for me, not just because my family is rich and I'm the heir. Becoming a genius won't help with that" Kirin explained. "But you already have friends now" Izumi replied, placing her hand on the blondes shoulder.

The boy looked up, "huh?" he asked. The blue-haired girl smiled, "you have Gatomon, and me, and Patamon, and all the others too. Even in a place like this, we're still all friends- and I'll never abandon any of you, no matter what happens!" Izumi said, determination lighting her face along with her bright smile. "Izumi-" Kirin muttered quietly, before his own face became determined, "I promise you, I'll be there for everyone if they need me, as their friend" he replied resolutely. No sooner had they both agreed on that, a glowing light begin to descend from the sky. The light glowed bright red and as she caught it, the light died down, allowing the girl to get a look at it. Izumi's crest was a red lightning bolt. Kirin looked over at his friend's Crest and frowned, "what kind of Crest is that?" he asked.

"The Crest of Loyalty I think, I watch a cartoon sometimes where this symbol is used to represent Loyalty to friends" Izumi explained. Patamon nodded, "Izumi is a very loyal person, no wonder her Crest is Loyalty!" she said with a giggle. The young girl smiled, "thank you- now, let's get out of here!" she exclaimed determinedly. The other three whole-heartedly agreed, and they stared off into the forest, looking for their friends and a way out of this horrible world.

To Be Continued


	14. Loyalty and Friendship, the true bond!

Mark slowly walked through the unnaturally darkened forest, Falcomon walking beside him. The boy wrapped his arms around his shoulders and shivered, it was so cold here. The Ninja bird Digimon looked up at the boy in worry, "are you okay Mark?" he asked. The dark-skinned boy looked down at his Digimon Partner and tried to smile, "y-yeah, I'm fine, this place is just really cold" he replied. Falcomon frowned, which was hard to do with a beak, "maybe we should find some place to rest? We can continue looking for the others afterwards. Mark nodded, "y-yeah, that's probably a good idea" he replied. Looking around the sandy-blond boy spotted something, "a cave, th-that's perfect!" he cried, teeth chattering slightly.

The two slowly walked towards the cave and went inside. Mark slumped against the wall with a sigh, it was slightly warmer, that was true, but not by much, in fact it seemed to be getting colder. "Hey F-F-F-Falcomon, is it ge-hetting c-colder in here, o-or is it just m-me?" he asked. Suddenly a dark black substance entered the boy, enshrouding his body in darkness. Mark gasped as he was engulfed in Darkness. He felt like he was pulled into a dark abyss. "No, it doesn't feel any colder to me, why?" Falcomon asked, turning back to his partner, and gasped in shock. Mark was enshrouded in a black cloud that covered his whole outline. The Aboriginal boy was curled up in a foetal position with his head in his hands. "Mark, what's wrong?" the bird Digimon asked, walking closer to the boy. He could hear the boy muttering to himself and strained his ears to hear what he was saying.

"Why did I even come here in the first place, it's not like I've actually helped anyone? All I do is cause trouble for everyone. Maybe it would be better if I hadn't come at all" he muttered. "What? No Mark! That's not true you know it's not! You don't cause trouble for everyone, and what about me? I've waited so many lifetimes for you! You're my best friend!" Falcomon exclaimed, gripping the Aboriginal's shoulder and trying to get his attention. "Mark please look at me! Hey! Snap out of it!" the bird Digimon exclaimed, getting really worried now.

**_Ð_**

Izumi, Patamon, Kirin and Gatomon walked through the forest looking for the rest of their friends. Kirin was shivering, rubbing his hands up and down his arms, "it's so cold, have you got a signal yet Izumi?" the Uchiwa asked his friend. The blue-haired girl shook her head, "the Digi-Dex isn't working properly, it might be something to do with this world" Izumi replied, looking around, "it's impossible _not_ to get lost in this place! Everything looks the same after all!" she muttered in frustration. "Calm down, getting upset won't help us find our friends" Patamon said, looking down at her partner. Izumi sighed, "I know Patamon, I know- it's just, this place! It's freaking me out!" she replied. Both Patamon and Gatomon nodded, "we feel it too, the evil and darkness in this place is make my fur stand on end!" Gatomon replied.

Izumi zipped up her jacket and pulled the hood up, it was so cold in this place. Suddenly they heard waves. Kirin froze and paled, before running towards the sound, the others following behind. Upon clearing the trees, the blond boy whimpered and stepped back, Gatomon taking his hand in her paw, "why do we keep coming back here! What does it want with me!?" Kirin cried clutching his head as the sound of the waves increased in volume. Izumi wrapped her arms around the boy, "it's okay Kirin, you're not alone, we'll all get through this together" she said softly, trying to comfort him in some way. Patamon looked around, before suddenly spotting something, "hey! That cave wasn't their before, right?" she asked in confusion.

**_Ð_**

The two children and Digimon entered the cave, looking around for any Digimon that might attack them. There didn't seem to be anything, but that just made them feel worse. The small group was so tense that the panicked voice that they heard next almost caused them to jump out of their skins: "Mark please, you have to stop!" a familiar voice begged. Izumi, Kirin and their partners rushed towards the sound of the voice and came upon the sight of Mark curled up into a ball, clutching his head with Falcomon shaking him and desperately calling out to the boy, trying to get his attention. "Mark! Falcomon!" Izumi cried as they stopped in front of them. The bird Digimon turned to face the two humans and Digimon, "oh, it's you!" Falcomon cried in relief, tears streaming down his eyes. All four newcomers were shocked.

Maybe they had only known Falcomon for a short time, but even so, he had always seemed so brave and steadfast, none of them had ever seen him cry before. "what's going on?! What's wrong with Mark?!" Izumi demanded. "I don't know, he was talking about it getting colder in here, then all of a sudden this darkness latches onto his body and now he won't even answer me! He just keeps mumbling to himself!" Falcomon replied. Izumi knelt down in front of the boy, "Mark, what's going on? Can you hear me?!" she asked. "Why can I never do anything right? No matter how hard I try, nothing ever changes, why- why do I never learn from my mistakes? That has to be it, that's why no one ever wants to be my friend, they always think I'm crazy. Always alone- wherever I go, I'm always alone" Mark muttered.

"That's not true! You're not alone Mark! You have us and the rest of our friends too! Even in a place like this, we'll always be their for you!" Kirin exclaimed. The Aboriginal boy blinked slowly and looked up, a tear falling down his cheek, "do you, really mean that?" he asked. "Of course we do! Do you think we'd ever abandon you? You're our friend Mark- we're all friends, and we'll always be there to support each other, even if we're apart" Gatomon added, turning to face the others, "right?" she asked. "That's right!" Kirin agreed, "Mark, I understand how you feel right now, a short while ago, I was nearly swallowed up by the darkness to, but with the help of the others, I was able to break free! We're all here to help you" the Uchiwa said. "I know it's scary, I'm scared too, but as long as we're all together, we can make it- because I never abandon my friends! So why would I ever abandon you?" Izumi said with a sincere smile as she held out her hand towards Mark.

"Please Mark, take her hand!" Falcomon begged. The boy seemed to be trying to fight against whatever force was affecting him, but eventually reached out to take the blue-haired girls hand, "thank you all, for being my friends" he said happily. Suddenly a bright red light shone from Izumi's Crest. As it did a blue light appeared in the air above Mark. The combination of the two lights was so bright that it caused the darkness gripping the Aboriginal to dissipate. As the light died down, the cave around them faded away. Slowly the glowing ball of bright blue light floated down towards Mark, who gasped, "this is-" he muttered, taking the glowing form into his hand. Opening his fist, the three children and Digimon were able to see a blue Crest with a shape that kind of looked like a whipper-snipper blade looked at from above.

"This is- the Crest of Friendship" he said in astonishment. As the light from Izumi's Crest began to die down, Gatomon tilted her head in confusion, "but I don't get it, if Mark was the one getting his Crest, why was Izumi's one glowing?" she asked. Izumi smiled, "well, think about it- what goes better with Friendship than Loyalty?" she replied. Everyone smiled happily. "You know, I was feeling horrible just a few minutes ago, but now I feel really happy- I'm really grateful to have friends like you" Mark said cheerfully. "Well, don't get too comfortable, we still have to find the others and get out of here as quickly as possible" Izumi replied. Everyone became serious and nodded, before beginning to walk off in search of their still missing friends.

**_Ð_**

Shiro walked through the town, Cutemon at her side, "oh, where is everyone?!" she cried. "I'm tired and hungry- not to mention freezing! Just what is this place?!" the Albino demanded to know. Cutemon looked up at her partner, who was indeed shivering with cold. She frowned and began to unwind her muffler. Shiro suddenly felt a tug at her skirt, "what?!" she snapped. Cutemon flinched back, but she knew that the girl was angry at their situation, not her, so she pressed on, "here" she said, offering her muffler to her partner, causing Shiro's eyes to widen, "you said you were really cold. Well, my muffler can repel even bone deep cold- please wear it until we ger out of her Shiro" she said. The young girl looked from her partner to the muffler then back to Cutemon again, who was already beginning to tremble.

She shook her head, "no, I couldn't, you're already cold Cutemon-" Shiro began, but the rabbit-like Digimon shook her head, "don't worry about me, this is nothing- we don't need you getting sick on top of everything Shiro, please" Cutemon begged. Shiro thought for another minute, before taking the muffler and wrapping it around her neck. She sighed in contentment, "thank you Cutemon, this really helps a lot" she replied gratefully. Shiro pulled the muffler closer to her face, _'it's really soft and warm'_ she thought. "Now let's go find our friends" Cutemon declared.

To Be Continued


	15. Shiro's Acceptance

Shiro and Cutemon travelled through the dark world silently, Shiro wrapped up in Cutemon's muffler. She was grateful to her partner for the gift, but she couldn't help but frown when she noticed the pink rabbit-like Digimon shivering. "Hey, if you're cold, you can take your muffler back, I don't mind that much" the Albino girl offered. Cutemon smiled up at her, "w-what? No, I'm f-fine, really. My fur keeps me w-warm enough, you need my m-m-muffler more than I-I do" she stuttered. "But you're shaking, and your teeth are chattering from the cold- please, I want to be a good partner to you too Cutemon" Shiro replied. "Well, I want to be a good Digimon Partner to you and keep you from freezing to death Shiro" Cutemon replied. The two glared at each other for a moment before both smiled and began to laugh, "I guess we're too much alike to back down, huh?" Cutemon said.

Shiro smiled softly, "I have a compromise" she said, picking the pink rabbit Digimon up into her arms and hugging her close, "is that better?" she asked. Cutemon sighed at the warmth emanating from the human girl, "yes, much better, thank you Shiro" she replied. After that the two continued through the forest, until they exited into what looked like a small beachside town. Shiro became excited, "hey! Maybe we're not the only people here after all! Let's go!" she exclaimed, running towards it with her partner still in her arms. However, once they reached the town, they found it to be as empty as the rest of the place. "Oh! Where is everyone!" Shiro exclaimed in frustration. "I'm sure we'll find them, don't worry Shiro" Cutemon replied, trying to calm the girl down. "But, w-what are we going to do if we _can't_ find them? I-If we can't find any of o-our friends" Shiro muttered, tears beginning to form in her eyes, "I don't wanna be all alone here!" she whimpered.

The white-haired girl rarely cried, in fact, she hadn't cried since her parents divorced- she usually found it a waste of time. After all, why try to change something you had no hope of changing in the first place? She had always accepted what people told her, what she felt was meant to be. She had always just tried to live her life as it went and didn't really try that hard at anything. Weather they be people, circumstance, or events in her life, she accepted it. When her father left them for a man, she had said that she was happy for him, it was going to happen anyway, so why get upset about it? But those thoughts were hard to keep to when she used listen to her mother crying at night when she thought no one was watching. She had learned to accept her life, but her mother had truly loved her father, and him leaving them had almost torn her apart inside.

However, ever since becoming a Digidestined and finding out that her destiny was apparently to fight some evil being to save her world and family, she had been thinking a lot more about destiny. Maybe she could do more than just blindly accept everything that came her way? Maybe, if she fought for a better future for herself and everyone, it would be easier to accept it. And so she cried, because she was _trying. She was trying _to create a better future for everyone, but it was so hard. "Hey, come on Shiro, please stop crying, we need to find our friends" Cutemon pleaded. But the longer she was stuck in that place, the worse Shiro felt, until her pain and misery just about consumed the poor girl. It was like the world itself was making her feel worse and worse, increasing her suffering until she could barely breath. _"Would you like to escape it?"_ a voice whispered inside her head.

The white-haired girl's eyes widened and her head shot up, looking around fearfully, "hello? Wh-who's there?!" she called. Cutemon frowned, "no one Shiro, we're the only ones here" she replied. The 12 year old turned back to her partner, "Cutemon, I heard someone talking just now, are you sure there's no one else here?" she asked. _"She can't hear me, only you can Shiro" _the voice continued. _"You suffer by resisting your fate. The pain you feel will only continue unless you give in- give in to the darkness"_. Shiro shook her head and covered her ears with her hands, "stop it, leave me alone, please!" she begged to the voice- the all-consuming darkness. The young girl fell to her knees, trembling. "Shiro! Shiro no! fight it!" Cutemon begged. "Help! Someone please!" the rabbit-like Digimon called, hoping someone, anyone could hear her. Suddenly she heard Izumi's voice, "hey!" Cutemon turned to find, Izumi, Kirin and Mark running up to them along with their Digimon. "Oh thank Seraphimon!" Cutemon exclaimed in relief, tears trailing down her face. When the group reached them, Kirin and Mark went up to the girl, "what's wrong with her?" Mark asked.

Cutemon shook her head, "I don't know, s-she started t-talking about *sniff* hearing a voice, then she s-suddenly started to clutch her h-head and *sob* break down" she sobbed, feeling so helpless. Mark nodded and knelt down in front of the crying girl, "Shiro? Can you hear me? It's Mark, Kirin and Izumi" he said softly. Shiro opened her eyes, "M-Mark?" she whispered, "I, I can't see you! I can't see anything! It's so dark!" the girl whimpered, "I can't, I can't take it anymore! I want to go home! I want to get away from here!" she cried. She reached out her hands, "I'm so scared, please, help me!" she begged. "Don't worry, that's what friends are for, right!?" Kirin cut in, taking the girls hands into his own. Mark nodded, "true, we all need to work together on this, each and every one of us- it's our Destiny after all!" he continued, also taking Shiro's hands.

"We'll always be here for you Shiro, trust us! We're always be here for each other, even when we're apart" Izumi finished, placing her own hands on top of the two boy's. The Digimon nodded, "don't forget about us! We'll also always be here, Cutemon especially!" Gatomon said resolutely. Shiro smiled as the darkness clouding her vision began to fade and she saw all her friends (well, most of them) standing in front of her. She nodded, "we will all be there for each other. I was wrong before. Just because I am accepting of others and different situations normally, doesn't mean I have to be accepting of every situation- _especially_ the bad ones. Yes, acceptance is good when it comes to different kinds of people, but in the case of evil Digimon and my family and friends being put in danger, I will not stand for it! I promise, from now on, I will work to be accepting of myself and others, while also fighting against evil! That's my job as a Digidestined, right?" Shiro asked, beaming.

Suddenly a bright white light shone above them, and the group looked up in amazement, "is this?" Shiro asked. A white Crest floated down towards her. When the albino caught it, she smiled, "the Crest of Acceptance" she said. Shiro suddenly felt a lot better than she had all day, and stood up, "wow, I feel full of energy again!" Cutemon exclaimed. As the white-haired girl put her Crest into her bag, "so, by the looks of it, Koko is the only one left to find then?" she asked. Izumi nodded, "and Wizardmon too of course, but finding our friend takes priority- this Dark Ocean has separated and gone after every one of us, Koko is the youngest, and an Orphan, I'm guessing that she might have the most amount of Darkness inside her yet. That means that she and Lalamon are who we should be looking for next, before this place overwhelms them!" the blue-haired girl replied.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?!" Mark exclaimed, "let's go find our friend!"

**_Ð_**

Koko hid in a house inside the town. She couldn't find any of her friends, and this place was so scary. She may be 9 years old, but in this strange world she felt like a 3 year old again, wondering around lost and looking for a mother that she couldn't remember the face of. Lalamon tried to make her Partner feel better, but watching the small girl sob in a corner of the room they were in broke her heart. "Mama, Mama please, where are you? Why did you leave me all alone here?" she cried. Koko felt the Darkness of this place and it terrified her. She didn't know where her friends were or how to get out. "Ma-hama!" she sobbed. "Oh- it'll be okay Koko! The others will find us soon, we just have to be patient" Lalamon tried. The red-haired girl looked up, "oh Lalamon! I'm scared! I don't wanna stay here anymore, _*sniff* _I, I want my Mama!" she cried.

"Oh Koko, I know but I'm here with you, I'm your family now too, right?" Lalamon asked. Before the young girl could answer, they heard a voice- the most lovely voice Koko had ever heard, _"Koko-Chan? Where are you baby! Please come out, Mama's here now!"_ the voice called. The red-haired girl gasped, a single tear falling down her cheek, "Mama!?" she called. _"I'm out here dear, please come to Mama now!"_ the voice called. Koko leapt up, "that's my Mama! She's here!" she exclaimed, rushing out of the house excitedly. "What! Your mother? Koko, wait!" Lalamon called as she hurried after her Partner. Once they were outside, the small plant Digimon trundled up to Koko, panting. She looked around. Same dark atmosphere, same bleak buildings, and same dark water that had creeped Lalamon out since she had first seen it.

"Koko, I don't see your mother out here!" the Rookie said warily. "I know it's her, it has to be!" Koko replied. _"Koko! I'm over here, just follow my voice okay?" _The Nine year old turned towards the water, "it's coming from, the ocean" the young girl muttered, before heading in that direction. Lalamon's- eye-holes widened, "from the ocean?" she asked, before running after her partner, "Koko stop! That ocean is really bad! If you touch it, it'll corrupt you!" the plant Digimon exclaimed, trying to stop the girl. _"It's okay Koko, you can trust me, I would never hurt by precious daughter in anyway because I love you too much dear" _her mothers voice called again. "But, my Mama-" Koko replied. "Think about it, would your mother really want you to go towards something so evil? If she were really here, wouldn't she try to protect you from this place?" Lalamon asked.

The young orphan stared out at the water, biting her lip. She'd always wanted her Mama to come back for her one day, had dreamed about it for years while at the orphanage, and yet- she'd never come for her while in the Real World, why would it be any different in the Digital World? "I- you're right Lalamon" Koko muttered, "that can't be my Mama, she would never be in such an evil place- besides, I still have a job to do! Right now, finding my friends is my first goal, then getting out of here is my second!" she turned away from the ocean, before suddenly an icy cold feeling swept over her, a terrifying, paralysing fear, one that froze her in her tracks. "Wh-what?! I can't move!" Koko exclaimed. It was at that moment that the two spotted several shadows moving amongst the trees near the town. The eyes of both the human and Digimon widened in fear as the figures moved closer to them, _"if you won't come willingly, I'll just have you brought here by force!"_ the voice replied, this time in Koko's head.

The Nine year old's eyes widened in fear, before she screamed and closed her eyes, _'someone, help us please!'_ she thought, praying that someone would save them before anything happened.

To Be Continued


	16. First battle

Koko and Lalamon could only stare in horrified silence as the dark shapes (presumably evil Digimon ruled by the Dark Master of the Dark Ocean) get closer and closer. "Koko! We have to run!" the plant Digimon urges her partner, but the red-haired girl seems rooted to the spot by terror. "Koko, come on! Just- move your legs!" Lalamon begged as she tried to push the girl legs into moving. Koko began to tremble and sob as tears trailed down her horror-filled face. "W-we-we're gonna die" the girl whimpered. "We won't! but you- have to- move!" Lalamon cried. But the nine year old couldn't take anymore, and as the monsters reached them, she fell to her knees and clutched her head, "someone please!" she screamed. Suddenly a voice was heard behind the two girls- a very familiar voice: "Lightning Paw!" a white blur streaked over Koko's head and slammed into the evil Digimon attacking them, knocking it back into the crowd of attacking Digimon.

"Gatomon!" Lalamon cried, relieved. The Champion Digimon leapt back in front of the girl and Digimon, "Lalamon! Is Koko alright?" she asked. Said girl was completely oblivious to their rescuer, and was still crying with her head in her hands, "I don't think so, this place is really freaking her out" the plant Digimon replied. Gatomon nodded, "I guessed as much- hey Patamon! Come give me a hand, would you!" she called. As she did another familiar voice cried out from behind them: "Frost Bubble!" suddenly a few of the nearby enemy Digimon were partly frozen. Izumi ran up along with Kirin, "good teamwork you two!" the blue-haired girl called, as Patamon landed on the ground next to Gatomon. "Kirin, Izumi! You're here too?" Lalamon asked. Kirin smiled, "of course, what, did you think we were gust going to abandon our friends?" he asked, before turning towards his partner, "now Gatomon!" he called.

"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon cried, leaping towards the evil Digimon again, and taking two out at once. Lalamon looked at all the Digimon fighting and desperately wished that she could go with them in order to help protect her partner. But with the way Koko was still acting, the plant Digimon was afraid to leave her side. Suddenly a Digimon broke away from the others and headed right towards the red-haired girl. Lalamon began to run forwards, but sudden explosions from _within_ the group of enemy Digimon stopped her. After another explosion went off, Falcomon, with Mark on his back leapt into the air. The Ninja-bird Digimon suddenly waved a wing and threw a bunch of little black things into the army of evil Digimon. And suddenly a whole group of their attackers faltered or collapsed to the ground, and were them blown up when Falcomon sent what looked like pieces of paper into the group.

Soon enough, Falcomon stopped before the group of shocked humans and Digimon before Mark climbed off his back, grinning, "hey guys, how've you been?" he asked. Izumi scowled, "what took you so long Mark, Falcomon?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, "you said to go ahead nearly half an hour ago" she said accusingly. Mark scratched the back of his head, "yeah, well, don't blame me- I told Falcomon we should go, but he want to make sure he had enough Paper Bombs drawn up just in case" he replied. The bird Digimon rubbed the back of his head with his wing, "sorry about that, I had to take my time with the Paper Bombs though, otherwise they might have gone off to early" he apologised. After another moment of silent staring, the Yukari's silent scowl faded, "oh alright, I forgive you- but next time try and have a bit more urgency, alright?" she asked. Both human and Digimon nodded in understanding, before Patamon caught their attention, "hey guys, you can join in anytime now!" she called back as she dodged another attack.

Everyone decided to let any arguments go and focus on the fighting. Despite mostly being made up of Rookies, the group's Digimon did fairly well against the many Virus Attribute Digimon they were fighting against. However, _because_ they were all non-Virus types, fighting in the dark world began to wear them all out faster than normal. The children's Digimon began to be pushed back, despite putting up a valiant effort. The Digidestined tried to give encouragement and support during the battle, but the feeling of Darkness and evil around them, still caused all the children to huddle together in fear. The first loss came too soon, as Patamon, exhausted from fighting so much just about fell out of the sky. "Patamon, no!" Izumi screamed as she plummeted. Falcomon noticed his comrades plight and leapt into the air, catching the almost unconscious Digimon in his arms. Quickly handing her off to Izumi, the Ninja-like Bird Digimon returned to the fray.

The blue-haired girl cradled her Partner in her arms gently, "Patamon? Patamon!" she cried, worried as she was unresponsive to her calls. Suddenly she glowed and de-Digivolded to Tokomon. Gatomon, who had been fighting the longest was hit hard and thrown across the sand. Kirin ran up to his partner as she also glowed and de-digivolved back to Salamon. The blond picked his partner up. She slowly opened her eyes before flinching in pain, "K-Kirin?" she whimpered. The Uchiwa gently picked the dog-like Digimon up and held her close, "I'm here, it's okay" he replied. Suddenly twin cries came from Lalamon and Cutemon as they were struck hard enough to send them out of the midst of the melee and skidding through the sand. As their human partners ran towards them with a cry, Izumi grit her teeth. Damn it all, this was crazy! At this rate, they wouldn't last even a few hours.

Tokomon shifted in her arms, "I'm sorry Izumi, I-I tried to- _*cough, cough!* _protect you, but I failed" she whispered. Tears began to well up inside the blue-haired girl's eyes and she shook her head, "no, that's not true! You did everything that you could! Even if we do die, we'll go together!" Izumi declared. "You've been my best friend ever since I met you Patamon, I love you and I refuse to abandon you!" she cried. Suddenly her Digivice began to glow, as did her crest, a bright red light that erupted into the sky. The blue-haired girl gasped as Tokomon glowed as well, her eyes opening wide. "Izumi, I feel your loyalty and love for me- there's, so much- power!" the little In-Training exclaimed, floating out of her Partners arms, "Tokomon, Warp Digivolve toooo…..!" she cried as the light of Digivolution began to overtake her form.

"Yukimon!" a more mature woman's voice called out as the light faded to reveal the Snow-Angel Digimon that Izumi had designed a few months before she'd gotten her Partner's Digi-egg. Well, her Digi-Dex _had_ scanned her picture of her fan-made Digimon, but actually _seeing_ Patamon Digivolve into her was incredible. She couldn't even begin to describe the feeling in her chest right now, but the closest thing to it would be- a mothers pride. "You have harmed my friends and my partner! All of you are nothing but creature made out of dark evil energy and hatred- now, I will purge you all from existence!" Yukimon cried, holding out her staff-like wand into the sky, "come to me! Purifying Blizzard!" she cried. A huge storm began to build around the tip of her staff, but _only_ there. Not a breeze of cold ever touched the children or their downed partners.

Yukimon had so much control, it was incredible. As the storm coalesced and she reigned it in, the Snow Angel Digimon frowned, "I'm sorry Izumi" she muttered. It was barley heard over the howling wind, but even so, the blue-haired girl was able to hear it loud and clear. Then she threw the condensed storm at their enemies. The screams of the evil Digimon were barely heard as the wind tore at their bodies and the snow froze them solid, ripping the evil Digimon apart in an instant. As the attack died down, Yukimon gasped and fell out of the sky. "Yukimon, no!" Izumi cried in horror as she realised what had happened- she had used up too much energy and now- "hold on! Just hold on, I'm coming!" she cried, running towards her kind-of-daughter as she began to disappear. The Snow-Angel Digimon smiled at the sight of her mother coming towards her.

"I promise, I'll come back soon Mama" she said softly, before fully reconfiguring into a Digiegg, which Izumi caught. She smiled even as tears trailed down her face as she stroked her Partners- no, her _daughters_ Digiegg, "I'll wait for you baby" she whispered, holding the egg close.

To Be Contined


	17. Escape from the Dark Ocean

With Yukimon taken out, and Izumi clutching her daughters Digi-egg like a lifeline, the Digidestined were getting pushed back again. Even though the Snow-Angel Digimon had taken out a huge swath of the army against them, more kept turning up, quickly replacing the Digimon they'd lost. The children were completely outnumbered this time and hopes were running at an all time low. They'd need a miracle to get out of this one. Or at least some fresh help. Suddenly another attack whizzed over their heads and took out a Digimon who had been about to attack Izumi, who was too preoccupied with Patamon's Digi-egg to notice. Everyone looked around for the attacker, and found Hiroshi and Terriermon coming towards them, "hey guys!" the long-eared Digimon, who, it appeared, had finally Digivolved to Rookie called out in greeting.

Izumi finally looked up, "where have you been?" she asked. Hiroshi shrugged, "lost, no idea where though" he replied. "That's kind of the definition of being lost!" Terriermon added. The blue-haired girl shook her head, "it doesn't matter where you were, you're just as doomed as the rest of us unless we can figure out a way for us to get out of this place" she replied, tightening her grip on Patamon's Digi-egg slightly. "Well, actually-" the boy began, before getting cut off by a cry from Falcomon, "look out!" he cried. Hiroshi looked up to see an attack heading right for him. Terriermon gasped, "Hiroshi!" Suddenly Hiroshi's Digivice began to glow, as did Terriermon, "Terriermon, Digivolve toooo….. Gargomon!" he exclaimed as a larger green and white rabbit-like Digimon appeared, with Gatling guns on his hands, wearing a belt of bullets around his body like a sash and a pair of jeans.

When the light died down everyone gasped. First Patamon, now Terriermon could Digivolve to Champion as well! Gargomon leapt into the air, using his big ears as a way to float slightly and with a cry of: "Gargo Pellets!" began shooting the enemy Digimon all around them. Several were injured too badly and shattered into data, many who had been caught by Yukimon's attack, but had managed to escape by a hairs breadth were destroyed now. Gargomons aim was amazing, even when some Digimon managed to get too close to them, the Digimon was able to take them out without hitting a single human. Eventually though, Gargomon had to come back down to the ground. That was when more Digimon showed up. By this time, Izumi was angry, "damn it! We can't just keep wasting our time and energy here! We need to get out of this damned hell hole of a world NOW!" she cried.

"We know that Izumi, but how are we supposed to get out of here? We have no plan, and these, waves of evil Digimon that keep attacking us are making it impossible to come up with one!" Kirin exclaimed. After a moment of thought, during which the fighting continued around them, it was Koko who came up with an idea, "what if we all wished really hard for it? I mean, it worked in Digimon Tamers, right? Why not here?" she asked. Everyone looked at each other, before Hiroshi shrugged, "it's better than doing nothing" he said. The children all stood in a circle and took each others hands. "Alright everyone, focus really hard on what we want, concentrate, don't let anything distract you" Izumi said. They all closed their eyes and took deep breaths. Then they began to silently wish: _'I want to go back to the normal Digital World'_ Izumi thought.

_'__I want to go back to the Digital World'_ Hiroshi thought. _'I want to get out of here and go back to the Digital World'_ Shiro thought. _'I want to go back to the real Digital World'_ Koko thought. _'I want to go back to the Digital World'_ thought Mark. _'I want to get out of here and get back to the Digital World' _Kirin thought. Each of them focused on their wish and repeated their thoughts. They were so focused in fact, that none of the children noticed the bright light that had surrounded them, and which only grew brighter each time they repeated their wish. Their Partners noticed, and they noticed themselves glowing the same way. But each of them gave no attention to that. They had to hold the line, keep and evil Digimon from reaching their Human Partners while they were focusing on their wish. **_'I want to go back to the Digital World, I want to go back to the Digital World!'_** all the Digidestined were now unknowingly thinking their wish in unison, and the light was glowing brighter and brighter. A large Dark shape suddenly rose out of the ocean. This was Dagomon, the ruler of the Dark Ocean, "the depraved monk of the deep" and it was he who had been calling to each of the children, trying to make him join them.

He could feel the power the children were exuding, see the light, which was so bright and pure that it hurt him to be near. He knew that he had to stop them before they could leave his domain. Dagomon raised his trident, and every one of his followers that were in the line of attack knew at once that they had to get the hell out of the way or be destroyed instantly. The trident began to glow with darkness, and he threw it towards the group of children on the shore. He knew that it would hit. No matter how far away from his target he was, Dragomon always hit what he was aiming for. The darkness enshrouded trident hit the light surrounding the Digidestined and an enormous explosion erupted from where the children had been standing. Many Digimon were vaporised either by the force of the trident passing them, or by the explosion itself.

When the energy and light cleared, it showed glass all around the area where the children had been, but in the centre of it, where was an area of untouched sand, and not one body. Dragomons minions all trembled in fear. Their master loosing his prey always meant pain and suffering for them.

**_Ð_**

Wizardmon had been watching the area where the children and their Digimon had disappeared for days now. He felt like he needed to stay there, like they would all be coming back soon. He had no idea how he knew, he just did. All of a sudden, a small point of light appeared. Then it grew bigger and brighter, not stopping, just steadily increasing, before- The children and their Digimon all appeared out of no where, all of them collapsing to the ground in apparent exhaustion. Wizardmon shot up in alarm and moved over to them, "are you all okay?" he asked, worried. Izumi panted, clutching Patamon's Digi-egg tightly and blinking up at the sunlight streaming though the leaves on the trees. She gasped at seeing actual sunlight after so long of nothing but darkness. She looked around, seeing Wizardmon hovering nearby worriedly, brightly coloured trees and plants and absolutely no Darkness anywhere.

Izumi began laughing out of relief, while stress-induced tears streamed from her eyes, "we're back! We made it! We made it!" she cried. Many of the other children began wearily opening their eyes and blinking at the sunlight. Then all of them burst into relieved tear as well, and as they sat up began to hug on another and talk all at once. Wizardmon couldn't make out much from the cacophony, but he did know one thing for sure. Everyone of those children and been through something horrific and were now back safe. They deserved to react however they needed to. A Salamon ran up to him suddenly from the group, "Wizardmon! You're alright!" she cried, leaping up into his arms. He blinked down at the little dog-like Digimon, before connecting the dots, "Gatomon?" he asked. Salamon nodded, but was shivering, "I thought I'd never see you again" she muttered.

The wizard Digimon smiled softly, not that you could really tell, and began stroking the small Rookie's back gently, "it's okay, you're all safe now Salamon" he said softly. Salamon looked down them glanced over at Izumi, who had picked up her daughters Digi-egg, _'not all of us'_ she thought.

**_Ð_**

It took a while to coax the children into a cave so the he could hear the whole story. Needless to say, many of them didn't want to leave the sunlight covered forest for the darkness and dampness of a cave anytime soon, especially not Mark, but Wizardmon managed it. After building a fire to warm everyone up, each of the Digidestined proceeded to tell their stories of their time in the Dark Ocean. Of course it was obvious that their time their had seriously traumatized all of them, Koko even broke into tears at one point. "I'm sorry all of you had to go through that" Wizardmon said after all the stories were done. "Yeah, well, I just hope we never have to go back" Shiro replied, shuddering violently as the sound of waves played in her head.

"Yeah, that place was terrifying, it almost corrupted me" Kirin added, many of the other children nodding in agreement. "Well we're out now, let's just try to continue with what we were brought here to do" Izumi said. Everyone agreed, more than happy to put all thoughts of that place behind them. Little did they know that they would all have to face the Darkness again eventually, as was their destiny.

To Be Continued


	18. Recovery

After their very traumatising adventure, it was no wonder that none of the Digidestined were very eager or able to sleep. The six children and theirs partners along with Wizardmon sat around the fire, just staring at the flickering flames. A few of them shivered from the memory of what they went through while in the Dark Ocean and they shifted closer to the fire for warmth. Wizardmon hadn't been able to get much information about what had happened to the children, but even so, he felt that to try and pry any deeper would hurt them all more. Shiro shivered and pulled her blanket tighter around her. Izumi hugged Patamon's Digi-egg close. The others all sat hugging their Digimon, or with their Partners trying to comfort them.

Watching them, despite his reluctance, Wizardmon knew that keeping it all in would only hurt them more at this point, despite what he might feel about it. Talking about what had happened would help all the children to get over it, and it would break the tense and overwhelming silence, "so, anyone what to tell me what happened to you all? If you talk about it, you'll feel better" the Wizard Digimon tried again. Izumi held Patamon's egg closer, "it was so cold" she said softly. Everyone's heads snapped over to their unofficial leader. "There was no warmth in that place, just unbearable cold and feelings of fear and despair that almost overwhelmed me" Izumi grit her teeth, shivering, "it was almost too much for me at one point" she finished. "It was the same for me" Shiro continued, "unbearable cold and feelings of hopelessness".

"I heard a voice in my head, that told me to go towards the ocean- it old me that I could have everything I ever wanted, including the intelligence and abilities to make my Tou-San love and be proud of me" Kirin added. Koko wrapped her blanket tighter around her shoulders, "I heard my Mama's voice. I was found at the age of three wandering the streets alone, looking for my Mama. That's when I was put into the Orphanage. I can't remember what she looked like, but somehow, I recognised her voice. I wanted so much to be able to just run into her arms and feel safe and happy again- but it was just a trick. My Mama wasn't really their" the nine year old red-head explained. After that everyone was quiet. Wizardmon didn't want to push anyone. After hearing the stories of four of the children, he was sure that no one else would want to speak of the terrifying experience, but was proved wrong when Mark spoke up next, "it was incredibly cold, and I was looking for some kind of shelter. I found this cave and we went inside, but it wasn't any warmer. It just kept getting colder and then-" he paused, "actually I don't really know what happened next, but Falcomon does" he continued.

The bird Digimon nodded, "this black thing suddenly latched itself onto Mark and he started talking about only ever causing problems for everyone and how it would have been better if he'd never come at all. He wouldn't stop no matter how much I tried to convince him that he was wrong. Then Izumi and Kirin turned up and managed to convince him that we would always be their for him. Mark took her hand and the dark thing vanished, along with the cave. That was when both Izumi and Mark got their Crests" Falcomon finished. Wizardmon nodded, "I see," he replied, before he turned toward Shiro, "and you, Miss Shiro?" he asked. The Albino smiled thinly, "my story is a lot like Kirin's, I just heard a voice in my head, telling me to give in to the darkness. It hurt and wouldn't stop, no matter how much I begged it to leave me alone. That was when Izumi, Kirin and Mark arrived and helped me. It was hard because the darkness had completely blinded me and I couldn't see them. That was when everyone assured me that they wouldn't leave me no matter what because we were all friends and the darkness blinding me disappeared."

"Wow, I'm sorry that you all had to go through that, really- I wish I could have helped you somehow" Wizardmon replied guiltily. Izumi gave a weak smile, "it's okay, really. Thank you for helping us now, I actually do feel a little better after talking about what I went through" the blue-haired girl replied. The other children all nodded and or agreed verbally. After a few more minutes of depressing silence, the somber mood was broken when Kirin suddenly let out a snort and a squeal. Everyone looked up in surprise to see Gatomon digging her claws (gently) into her partners ribs, "he-hey! Wha-ha, ha, hat are you dooooiiing!?" the blond squealed.

The cat Digimon smirked almost evilly, "you need to cheer up, and if you can't feel anything but depressed, then I'll cheer you up myself" she replied matter-of-factly, ever-so-gently running and digging her claws into her partners ribs, electing another squeal and loud laughter. Suddenly Cutemon perked up, "you know, that's not such a bad idea Gatomon" she said, glancing slyly at Shiro. The white-haired girl blinked, eyes wide, and before she could even think of moving away, the rabbit-like Digimon was on top of her, tying the young girls arms with her muffler. Shiro tried to wiggle away, but Cutemon sat on top of her legs and began to probe her stomach. When she hit her partners belly-button, it seemed she'd struck gold, because Shiro squeaked loudly and began wiggling around to try and get away, "no! not their! Sto-ho-ho-ohp it!" she cried.

When the pandemonium had begun, Mark had leapt up, warily staring at Falcomon's feathers, "no! don't even think about it! Falcomon, stay away from me!" the dark-skinned boy exclaimed, but their was a hint of humour in the boys eyes. "Oh, but it looks like fun, don't you think Mark?" the Bird Digimon asked mischievously, before beginning to chase the boy around the cave. Unfortunatly for Mark, the Bird was also a Ninja, and was easily able to catch and restrain his partner, "c-come on Falcomon, don't!" he whined. Facomon smirked (really very impressive for a Digimon with a beak) and leaned down, "but I don't want you to feel left out!" he replied in mock sadness, rolling up the young boys shirt and beginning to brush his stomach and sides with his wing feathers. Mark fell apart, thrashing with laughter "Fa-ha-ha-halcomo-o-o-on! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Noooo, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!" Mark shrieked when his partners feathers began running along his hips.

Izumi watched all of the mayhem with a slight smile on her face. While she was extremely ticklish, and would normally be running around with the rest of the children, trying to escape, as she was sure Patamon would be eager to join in on cheering her up, Patamon was currently in her Digi-egg. Suddenly she found herself floating upwards in the air, Patamons Digi-egg being gently removed from her arms and set down on the ground. Izumi blinked in shock and looked around to see who was levitating her in the air. What she saw was Wizardmon, an orange glow engulfing one of his hands and a closed eye smile on his face, "I don't think they should get to have all the fun, do you Izumi?" he asked cheerfully. The blue-haired girl gulped nervously, and had half-a-mind to tell the Wizard Digimon to put her down, but she was kind of hoping something like this would happen.

Wizardmon carefully probed around her upperbody carefully, being gentle so-as to make sure his efforts would produce giggles and laughter. However, he couldn't seem to find Izumi's ticklish spot. He looked her over silently for a moment, before grinning and making an 'upwards' movement with his finger. Both her arms shot up, suspended by his magic and the blue-haired girl gulped. Then he began to gently stoke her underams. Eyes widening, Izumi shrieked and fell into helpless laughter. Some of the other Digimon glanced over at the two with grins on their faces, but continued their work, "Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho! No not- the-he-he-he-he-here! Naha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Pleeeease! Nohot my- aha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" the young girl cried, thrashing around in the magic that suspended her, but she could not lower her arms no matter how much she wanted to.

As the night wore on, the sound of laughter filled the forest, banishing the last remaining fear and suffering their owners had held onto.

**_Ð_**

The next morning when the children woke up, they were all in much higher spirits than they had been the night before. They'd gotten a nightmare free sleep after the nights excitement and the giddy feelings the ticklefest had brought on left them all feeling happy and cheerful. The Dark Ocean would still be a sore topic, probably forever, but none of them were quite as traumatised as they had been. After packing up, the group moved away from the cave, ready to continue their mission- whatever that may be.

To Be Continued


	19. Return home

After getting a good nights sleep, the six children along with Wizardmon continued to explore the Digital World. Everyone was in much higher spirits after last night's tickle fight dispersed the depressed and fearful atmosphere and so they set out after breakfast. "So, what are we looking for Izumi?" Shiro asked their leader. "Well, we need to find out more about where we are, so we're just going to be exploring for today" the blue-haired girl replied. If anyone noticed the less confident tone in her voice, they didn't comment on it. "But last time we went exploring, we didn't find anything?" Shiro whined, "besides, my feet are already sore!" she complained. The other children and Digimon sighed, while Cutmon frowned, "how can they already be sore? We only took a break a little while ago?" she asked.

"Come on Shiro, don't you think discovering all these new things is interesting and fun?" Koko asked. The white-haired girl looked down at the little nine year old and sighed, "I guess so, but I haven't gotten to see much of _this _world, so I can't really say" she replied. "That's why we're exploring! To see the world" Koko replied cheerfully. Shiro smiled softly, "yes, you're right- okay, let's keep going!" she replied, more enthusiastically than before. Izumi smiled slightly at the sight, but frowned when she looked down at the Digi-egg in her arms. She knew that Patamon would come back, but she still missed her daughter. The blue-haired girl rubbed the eggs shell gently. It was her job as Patamon's mother to protect her daughter until she hatched, and she was determined to not let anyone stop her. Izumi smiled and looked up.

Suddenly something crashed through the trees, causing everyone to freeze before spinning around. A tiny cry echoed from the ground. Kirin and Gatomon ran forwards, the Champion Digimon moving in front of her partner. "Well this seems familiar" Mark muttered, Falcomon nodding beside him. Both the Uchiwa and Cat Digimon knelt down before the small crater and Kirin stared at the small Digimon that was in front of them. Gatomon suddenly drew in a sharp breath, causing her human partner to turn to her, "Gatomon? You know what kind of Digimon this is?" he asked quietly. "I never thought I'd see one in my lifetime" she whispered, staring in awe at the small white Digimon that had two tiny golden wings attached to it's back. "This is a Puttimon. It's a sacred Baby Digimon that is said to be the template for all Angel and many Holy species-type Digimon, including myself and Patamon, who both normally Digivolve into Holy or Angel Type Digimon ourselves" she replied softly, reverently.

The Baby Digimon opened it's eyes and whimpered in pain. Gatomon felt intense anger and hatred well up inside her towards whoever had dared to harm such a pure, sacred Digimon, but let none of that show on her face. Instead, she let a soft, gentle smile show, "hey there, are you alright Puttimon?" she asked gently. The little Angel Type whimpered and cooed softly, indicating that something was wrong. "Don't worry, my friends and I will help you, may I pick you up?" Gatomon asked. Puttimon made a noise of agreement, and the Cat Digimon slipped off her gloves, handing them over to her Partner, before carefully and gently lifting the sacred Baby Digimon into her paws. "Now, can you tell me what happened?" she asked. The little Digimon shivered and whimpered again, closing her eyes, "it's okay, we'll protect you, I promise" she replied.

Puttimon squeaked and squealed several times, Gatomon nodding along as she listened. Everyone else stayed silent so-as not to scare the poor thing anymore than it already had been. Gatomon then turned towards her friends, "she said that she had just been flying along when all of a sudden she was hit by something huge. Before she could look to see what it was, it started going after her. Puttimon had to fly erratically to try and evade the thing, but she ended up getting hit and knocked out of the air" the cat Digimon explained. "Oh, that's horrible!" Hiroshi exclaimed, looking in sympathy at the Baby. Puttimon squeaked again, and Gatomon's eyes went wide. "What is it Gatomon?" Kirin asked his partner worriedly. The Champion looked up at the blond boy, "she said that the thing chasing her was giving off an evil aura" she replied. Kirin froze. He didn't know if any of them were recovered enough to face an Evil Digimon. The kids shared a nervous glance, before Izumi took a deep breath, "alright guys, I know what we went through was bad, but we can't let it control the rest of our lives. We came here to save the Digital World and protect the Real World. We knew we'd be facing evil Digimon throughout this. We all need to face this thing head on, no matter how scared of it we are, because if we don't, our families and friends are going to be the ones to suffer. So who's with me?!" the blue-haired girl cried, pumping her fist into the air.

No one replied, but Koko looked closer at their leader. Her eyes widened slightly as she noticed the older girl shaking minutely. Making a decision, Koko took a deep breath and stepped forwards, "I'll stand with you Izumi" she replied, standing next to the blue-haired girl. Izumi smiled slightly. Wizardmon walked up, "I'll help too, it might even help me with getting my memories back" he said, nodding. Mark stepped up next and stared into Izumi's eyes, "you were the first friend I made after moving to Japan- I'm in" the part-Aboriginal agreed. Hiroshi looked down at Terriermon, who nodded. He walked forwards too, "I'm not sure about all of this, but I'll help if you guys need me" he replied. Shiro nodded, "before I would just accept things like this happening, but now I knew you can make your own destiny to accept, I'm in!" the white-haired girl exclaimed. Kirin took a deep breath, "you guys are the first real friends I've ever had. I would rather fight alongside you all than run and hide. You can all count on me!" the blond exclaimed.

Looking around at each other, everyone smiled. The Digimon beamed at their partners, while Puttimon squeaked happily. The group suddenly stiffened when a dark, terrifyingly familiar feeling washed over them. Everyone moved closer together and gripped each other tight, "don't let yourself be separated from the group, no matter what!" Izumi exclaimed. Suddenly the area around them began to flicker, going from light to dark. Puttimon squealed in fear and Izumi, despite her apparent bravery, clutched Patamons Digi-egg tighter. Suddenly a huge wave of Dark water was looming over them. Many of the Digidestined screamed. The small angel-type Digimon looked around at all the terrified humans and Digimon. Suddenly she narrowed her eyes in determination and leapt out of Gatomons paws. "No! Puttimon, don't!" the Cat Digimon cried.

Divine light began to shine around the Baby Digimon as she called forth as much power as she could and threw it all at the wave. Light and Darkness slammed into each other with a huge bang. The children and their Partners looked on in shock and terror as the darkness began to overwhelm the light. _'No!' _Puttimon thought, _'I will not let this evil harm the ones who have been so kind to me!'_ The light got brighter, and the Baby Angel began to feel an enormous power welling up inside of herself, so much so that she felt if she didn't left it out it would overwhelm her. Izumi, Shiro, Koko, Mark, Hiroshi and Kirin stared in awe as the shape within the light began to grow and change. The amount of power the two forces were pushing out began to effect the world around them. The sky darkened, lightning crashed, wind howled and suddenly a huge hole in space opened in front of them.

Kirin was the first to open his eyes and he gaped at the sighed before them, "what the heck-?!" he cried in shock. The other vaguely heard him and they opened their eyes as well. Everyone gaped at the apparent tear in space, before it began to suck in everything around it. The Digidestined and their partners screamed as they were all sucked into the rip. As they did the light intensified until everyone blacked out.

**_Ð_**

Meanwhile, the families of the Digidestined had met and been getting together ever since their kids had left. They had decided to watch the Digimon Adventure Anime so-as to get a better idea of what their children might be going through. They were currently up to episode 17 when suddenly the TV along with every Digital appliance in the Kain Household began to act up. "What's going on?" Mikami, Hiroshi's Grandmother asked in confusion. Brendon frowned, "I don't know, but all the Digital Appliances are going crazy, not just the TV!" he exclaimed, indicating the microwave, the Set-Top Box and even his Didgital watch. Suddenly a hole appeared in the air above the coffee table. Before any of the adults could start to freak out, 13 shapes fell out of it and crashed into the table, crushing it under the weight.

Some of the parents screamed or jumped up in shock, but that shock quickly turned to confusion and a bit of fear when they say that the shapes were their own children and several Digimon. "Ow, oh, god damn it! What the heck did we hit?" the blue-haired girl muttered with a groan as she moved slightly. Nori Yukari gasped in surprise, "Izumi-Chan?" she asked slowly. Izumi froze and turned to look at all the adults staring down at them. She blinked, "oh, um-" Izumi smiled slightly, "I'm home?" she replied feebly, wincing. Suddenly all the adults lunged for their children and held them close. After everything they'd been through, the kids broke down, sobbing uncontrollably and hugging their families too. Izumi caught a glance of Koko standing by herself and whispered something to her Mama. Nori suddenly reached out and pulled the surprised Koko into the hug too. The Digimon watched with smiles and tears as their human partners were reunited with their families after everything they'd been through.

To Be Continued


	20. Surprise! Another Digidestined?

All of the children's families hugged them gratefully and talked to their Partners to try and get to know them. Some of the families were awkward: "So, uh, you're Kirin's Digimon Partner, right? You're a, um-" Sasuke Uchiwa stuttered in askance. Salamon smiled, "My name is Salamon, It's nice to meet you both" she introduced herself with a bow of her head. Emiko Uchiwa smiled back, "it's a pleasure to meet you too Salamon-San, thank you for caring for our son while he was in your world" she replied with a bow of her own. Some of the families were welcoming. Terriermon waved, "hi, I'm Terriermon! Nice to meet ya!" he said cheerfully.

Mikami smiled, "It's nice to meet you too Terriermon, thank you for taking care of my Grandson when I couldn't," she bowed slightly, "you have this old woman's gratitude". The rabbit-like Digimon climbed onto Hiroshi's shoulder, "no problem! Hiroshi's my friend! I was happy to protect him!" he exclaimed cheerfully. Other parents were happy, "I'm glad Mark finally has some good friends, I'm grateful to all of you" Brendon nodded to Falcomon as he placed his hand on his sons shoulder. Mark grinned, "thanks Dad" he replied happily. The Bird Digimon nodded, "I'm glad to be Marks friend too of course" he replied seriously. Brendon grinned, "I'm glad to hear that". Hikari Yuka frowned down at her daughter, "but Shiro-Chan, why do _you_ have to be a Digidestined? Can't the others do all of- this?" she asked, worried.

"Kaa-San, I know how you feel. I had the same thoughts when I was first chosen. But I've since realised that there will be times when you have to step up to protect the people you care about. If you don't, then they might end up getting hurt. I was scared at first when I became a Digidestined, but this is my destiny. I accept that. What I don't accept, is evil Digimon trying to hurt my friends and family when I can do something about it! I want to do this Kaa-San. Please, if anything happened to you, or Tou-San or my friends- or even Tou-San's Partner, I would never forgive myself!" Suddenly Shiro's Crest started to glow with a white light, causing all the adults to gasp. When it died down, the Albino chuckled awkwardly, "yeah, that happens". "Maybe we should all sit down and each of you can explain what happened in the Digital World" Mikami said. All the other adults agreed with the old woman, but before they could get comfortable, Izumi raised her hand, "um, first- well, none of us have really had any proper meals since we left" she said.

To prove her point, many of the Digidestined's stomachs rumbled, while the Digimon's stomach's roared. The children bushed and mumbled. Thankfully Sasuke pulled out his mobile phone, "I'll order take-away for everyone" he said, to cheers from the kids.

**_Ð_**

After everyone had eaten to their hearts content, they had intended to explain to their families exactly what had happened to them, however, Koko began to yawn, which started off the others. "Maybe we should continue this tomorrow" Nori suggested. After agreeing, Brendan offered to host everyone for the night so that they wouldn't have to wait to hear the full story until after they'd gotten back the next day. "Sounds good," Salamon began, before looking around quickly, "wait, where's Puttimon? Has anyone seen her?" she asked. The adults all looked confused, before Lalamon held up a slightly bigger white Digimon with larger golden wings, who was sound asleep, "is this her?" she asked in a whisper. Salamon and Kirin walked up in shock, "wow, I guess pushing herself against all that Darkness caused her to Digivolve!" the blond boy exclaimed quietly.

Many of the parents were worried when the boy mentioned darkness, but chose not to mention it yet. "You can take her Kirin, I don't really have hands any more" the dog-like Digimon replied. Kirin nodded and gently took the evolved Puttimon into his hands, cradling her against his chest. "Okay, let's all get some rest then" Izumi said softly, but loud enough for everyone to hear. Then the people who didn't normally live in that mansion were led to their rooms. "Um, excuse me Kain-San, but is there somewhere for me to put Patamon's Digi-egg that it won't fall over?" Izumi asked of the rich adult. Brendon nodded, "I'll have a nice soft spot made up on your bed for her, don't worry, she'll be fine for the night" he replied with a kind smile. Izumi bowed, "thank you very much" she replied. After all their children had been put to bed and the Digimon comfortably settled, the adults reconvened in the sitting room.

"What do you think they're going to tell us tomorrow?" Hikari asked. "Whatever it is, we have to be supportive and gentle about it- we want our kids to feel like they can talk to us about these things, right?" Mikami replied. Everyone nodded in agreement, before moving on to talk about their childrens new Digimon friends.

**_Ð_**

Izumi sighed in bliss as her body and head touched a soft mattress and pillow for the first time in ages. "Oh, this is so much better than trying to sleep on the hard ground" she stretched and sighed again, getting comfortable. Izumi looked up at Patamon's Digiegg, _'I wonder what Mama will say when I tell her that I'm your Kaa-Chan?'_ she thought, before sighing one last time, _'those are thoughts for later'_ "goodnight Patamon" she whispered. Then the blue-haired girl fell into a deep sleep.

**_Ð_**

Koko curled up in her borrowed bed with Lalamon next to her, _'I wonder if the Matron will let her sleep in my bed at the Orphanage?'_ she wondered to herself. The Nine-year-old sighed at the softness of the mattress and warmth of the sheets. She'd never slept in a bed this comfortable. Soon she was fast asleep with a smile on her face.

**_Ð_**

As their children were going to bed, their parents were sitting together in the Sitting Room discussing what their children could possibly have gone through in the Digital World, and wondering how to get them to open up about it. It would be very hard, since most were sure their adventure couldn't have been all that amazing. Despite how tired their children had been, many of the parents and family members could see a haunted look in their eyes when they were speaking with them. The only problem, was that none of them could figure out a way to get the six of them to talk about it without pushing.

_*Elsewhere*_

A taxi drove down the street, the sole human customer had earphones in, listening to music. A rabbit-like stuffed toy sat on her lap.

_*Back in the Kain Households living room*_

"Maybe we could ask them to write it down?" Emiko Uchiwa suggested. "I think that would be just as bad as talking about it Uchiwa-San" Brendon replied, shaking his head.

_*In the Taxi* _

The Taxi turned onto the street, and suddenly the girl's _other_ deivice began beeping. The Rabbit twitched. "What's with the noise?" the driver asked. The girl blushed, "sorry about that, the alarm gets stuck sometimes" she replied, chuckling sheepishly. "Well then, you should get it fixed soon" the Taxi driver grunted. The girl smiled, "yes Sir, sorry Sir" she replied with a bow.

_*In the bedrooms of the Digidestined*_

Their Digivices began beeping loudly, waking everyone up.

_*In the living room*_

The adults all paused in their conversation as a loud beeping sound was heard and all of the children came rushing down the stairs with their Digimon. Sasuke stood up, "what's going on? You should all be in bed" he said sternly, "and what's with the noise?" he asked. Kirin held up his Digivice, "our Digivices are showing someone else with a Digivice coming closer!" he replied. Izumi looked down at her devices screen, "that means that there's another Digidestined nearby, and they're close!" she replied. Nori blinked, "another child like you? Coming here?" she asked her daughter, "I don't know but they're-" the blue-haired girl looked back down at the screen, to see the dot right on top of them, "they're here!" she exclaimed.

Suddenly the door bell went off, causing everyone to jump. When it went off again, Brendon stood up and went to open the door. What he saw was a young girl with short brown hair and green eyes wearing a long sleeved red dress, yellow and red jacket and long blue pants. She had a brown Digimon that looked a lot like Terriermon, except it had a brown and pink colour scheme instead of white and green and three horns on it's head instead of one, "excuse me, is Hiroshi Yagami here?" she asked. Hiroshi and Mikami heard this and their eyes widened. They moved towards the door and the black-haired boy gasped. When the girl saw him she smiled. The Brown and pink Digimon waved, "hello their" she said. Hiroshi blinked, "is that really you Etsuko?" he asked. Etsuko smiled, "hello Itoko (cousin)".

To Be Continued


	21. The Seventh Digidestined!

Hiroshi and his Grandmother stared in shock at the sight of the brown-haired girl, standing beside a brown and pink Digimon that looked a lot like Terriermon except for the colour scheme and the fact that the other bunny Digimon had three horn instead of one on it's forehead. Etsuko in turn stared down at the cream and green coloured bunny Digimon that looked like it could be Lopmon's twin, and in fact was. Both of them blurted out the same line almost instantly, _"you're a Digidestined too?!" _Mikami Yagami simply started at her Grandaughter silently for a moment, before shaking herself out of her shock, "Etsuko-Chan! It's been so long since I last saw you dear!" she said happily, leaning down slightly for a hug. The brown-haired girl smiled back, "it has! It's good to see you again Baa-San!" she replied, hugging back.

When she released her Grandmother, Etsuko smiled at her cousin, "It's great to see you again Hiroshi, how have you been?" she asked. The black-haired boy smiled back, but was slightly confused, _'why does my Itoko have a Digimon? Why didn't we know that there were other Digidesined?' _he thought. "Okay mostly, did you get Makoto-Obasan's (Aunty's) permission to come visit?" Hiroshi asked. The preteen girl put her hands on her hips, "of course I did, I wouldn't just run off without saying something, especially with the condition she's in. Ojichan's (Grandpa's) come to live with us and he said that he could handle looking after Kaa-Chan by himself for a while. So I decided to come visit you, after this voice thing gave me this Digivice and a Digi-egg" Etsuko replied. "Is Makoto-Chan doing alright Etsuko?" Mikami asked with a smile on her face. The Preteen nodded, "she does have to go back to the hospital soon though, so I'm going back before then" she replied.

"Okay, I'm confused" Shiro said. Hiroshi blushed slightly, before turning to face his friends "my Obasan is pregnant and she's going to have her baby in only a couple of weeks now" he replied in explanation. All the other Digidestined eagerly congratulated the two cousins and Grandmother. Mikami smiled and turned back to her Granddaughter, "so you are a Digidestined too then, just like Hiroshi-kun and the others?" she asked. Etsuko nodded, "looks like it, this is Lopmon- I got her Digiegg a few weeks ago, but with Kaa-Chan's condition, I decided not to say anything until after the baby was born, so that I wouldn't stress her out more" she replied. Terriermon walked forwards and examined the other rabbit-like Digimon, Lopmon doing the same, "this is really weird Hiroshi, it's like looking in a fun-house mirror" the white Digimon said.

"well, we should probably get everyone back inside now, I can make something up for you for dinner with what I have here, then we should be getting back to bed, unless there are going to be any other surprises?" Kain-San asked. "How should we know, it's not like we're doing this on purpose or anything" Mark replied indignantly with a shrug. So Etsuko and Lopmon were led inside, "wow, and I thought this place was big on the outside!" the 12 year old exclaimed in awe of the huge mansion. The two newcomers were given food and then led to bed. Once everything was quiet once again, the adults collapsed into their chairs. "I can't believe that not only one, but _two_ of my Grandchildren have to deal with all of this" Mikami sighed. "Well, let's hope that's the last surprise for the night and that everything else will at least wait for a few days" Nori added.

After that the adults all went to bed as well.

**_Ð_**

Unfortunately for the humans, things were about to get _much_ worse much faster than any of them either wanted or were ready for. A small, dark form knelt in front of an enormous figure with way too many tentacles, "so, the Digidestined have returned home?" the figure asked. "Yes my Lord, I saw it with my own eyes" the small figure replied. "Well then, I think it's time to give them a _welcome home party_, don't you, Wizardmon?" the giant hissed. Wiardmon stood up, "of course, Lord Dragomon" he replied with a nod.

**_Ð_**

At that moment, all of the Digidestined except for Etsuko bolted up screaming. The adults quickly ran to comfort and calm their children, with Nori checking on both Izumi and Koko. All of them were trembling with terror and had pale faces. Try as they might, the parents couldn't get much out of their children, other than three words: **"the Dark Ocean"**. After that, every one of them clamed up, literally. They all either curled into balls or leaned into their family members. Etsuko ran into the closest room to hers, which happened to be Marks. The boy was trembling, hugging Falcomon and his father to him like a lifeline and whimpering. "What happened?! Who screamed?!" she demanded, having become very sensitive to that kind of thing with her mother being pregnant. Brendan hugged his son close, slowly and soothingly rubbing his back, "all of them" he replied seriously.

Frowning, Etsuko ran towards her cousins' room, Lopmon, who had only now caught up with her, hurrying after her once again. Thankfully the sight that met her eyes at Hiroshi's bedroom door wasn't nearly as worrying. Terriermon and Mikami were easily calming the boy down, and so, with protective older sister instincts that had been growing since she'd found out that she was going to get a younger sibling, the girl went to check on all the others. Shiro was sobbing, crying uncontrollably with her hands gripping her head. "Shiro-Chan!" Hikari cried upon catching sight of her daughter. She rushed forwards and wrapped her arms around the white-haired girl, "sshhh now, it's okay baby, it's okay, Kaa-San's right here, you're safe" Hikari soothed, rubbing Shiro's back and trying to calm her fears. Upon snapping out of her nightmare-induced terror, the Albino sobbed and hugged her Mother back as tight as she could, crying and shaking, "K-Kaa-San!" she whimpered.

"What happened Shiro? What was your nightmare about?" The white-haired woman asked. Shiro gulped, "D-Dagomon- h-he's _*gulp* _done something to Wizardmon. I think- w-we might h-have to f-fight him a-as well" she stuttered. Cutemon gasped, "what! Wizardmon is going to be our enemy now! No way" she muttered. "I- I have to tell the others _*pant*_ now!" Hikari frowned in confusion, "what are you talking about baby?" she asked, worried. But the white-haired girl seemed almost feverish in her determination and nearly collapsed at the door. Thankfully Etsuko caught her before she could hit the ground. "Oh! Shiro-Chan, are you alright?" her mother asked. "The others have to know, they have to!" the white-haired girl exclaimed. "Okay, okay, we can tell them, just try to calm down first- if you're too upset, then your friends might not understand you" Hikari Yuka replied soothingly.

Shiro took some deep breathes while Cutemon took her Partners hand in an attempt to comfort her. The Albino smiled slightly at the rabbit-like Digimon, then up at her mother, "thank you Kaa-San, I'm okay now" she said gratefully. Her mother nodded, letting her daughter go and allowing her to get up and organise a meeting with her friends. The brown-haired woman frowned, wishing that she could do something, like all the other adults in that house, to take their children's problems, fears and pains away.

**_Ð_**

When everyone was once again gathered in the living room, Shiro began to retell the events of her nightmare. "I saw the exact same thing in my nightmare" Koko said in worry. "Did everyone have the nightmare about Dagomon and Wizardmon?" Izumi asked. The other children nodded. "It was defiantly the Dark Ocean, I felt the exact same evil darkness crawling over my skin that I felt when we were trapped in that horrible place" Kirin muttered and shuddered. After looking around at the others and getting fearful agreements, Izumi sighed, "if that's true, does that mean the Wizardmon betrayed us?" Salamon asked worriedly, not wanting to believe her new friend would do something like that. "Maybe he was being controlled?" Koko suggested. "Well whatever's happened, I have a feeling that things have gotten worse in the Digital world since we've been gone" Falcomon added.

"How, it's barely been a full 24 hours since we left?" Hiroshi pointed out. "But with us out of the way, whose to say that it would only take a couple of days for Dagomon to take over the whole of the Digital World?" Kirin pointed out. "But, if he could really move that fast, why hadn't he done that before we were taken to the Digital World, heck, even before we were chosen?" Shiro said. The blue-haired leader crossed her arms, "true, hmmm" she trailed off in thought. The adults, standing off to the side all looked at each other, "does anyone have _any_ idea what they're all talking about?" Brendon asked. Sasuke shook his head, "not a clue" he replied. "Do you think Dragomon will attack the real world?" Koko asked. Izumi shook her head, "I don't know, but I have a feeling that he will, if only to get rid of us for good at first" she replied.

"So what do we do? If we told people about this, not only would they not believe us, they'd think we were crazy! How can we warn people if they'll just dismiss us?" Hiroshi asked. Izumi sighed, "I don't know. We might just have to stay vigilant and be careful not to let our guard down. Dragomon could attack at any time" the Yukari replied. All the Digidestined nodded, except for Etsuko, who had no idea what they were talking about. She walked over to her cousin and placed her hand on his shoulder, "I may not understand what's going on, but I'll be here for you Hiroshi- for all of you if you need me," the brown-haired girl smiled, "after all, we are a team aren't we?" she asked. Hiroshi smiled and Izumi nodded, "thank you Etsuko, we'll greatly appreciate your help" she replied.

Nori frowned, "Izumi, what is going on?" she asked, worried. Izumi turned to look at her mother and all of the other adults, and the look on her face was so serious and grave that all of them couldn't help but gulp, "we all need to prepare- this world may be attacked soon" she replied.

To Be Continued


	22. Preparations

"What do you mean attacked?" Shiro's Kaa-San asked worriedly. "When we were in the Digital World, we fought against a very powerful evil entity named Dragomon. He tried to control us, but when he couldn't, changed to destroying us instead. However, thanks to this little one here-" Izumi paused to allow the In-Training Angel Type to fly up. She bowed, "it's nice to meet you all, my name is Cupimon. I would have introduced myself sooner, but I was too tired to wake up" she said politely. Salamon walked up and smiled, "it's nice to meet you too Cupimon. Thank you for protecting us before" she said. The two smiled at each other. Nori interjected before the two Digimon could push the conversation off track, "so, Cupimon did what exactly?" she asked. Izumi blushed slightly, "oh yeah, sorry, heh! Anyway, she tried to protect us and the clash of her good power and the Dark Oceans evil power somehow opened up a tear in reality or something and sucked us back here" she finished.

"So that's what that huge hole in the air was that you all dropped out of!" Mikami exclaimed in realisation. Hiroshi nodded, "yeah, but now it looks like Dagomon has mind controlled one of our other Digimon friends and they're coming here to attack us again" he finished. "Do you know how they'll do that?" Brendon asked. The children shook their heads, "no, sorry" Izumi replied. "But if we don't know what's coming, how are we supposed to prepare for it? And how are we going to convince the city to prepare for it? Oh my god, Oji-Chan and Kaa-Chan! They don't know!" Etsuko gasped. "Again, how would you convince them about it Etsuko?" Lopmon asked. The young girl gripped her head with both hands, "ahhhrgh, damn it! Why do we have to deal with all this crap! What the hell are we supposed to do?!" she cried in frustrated worry. Mikami placed a hand on her Granddaughter's shoulder, "we'll figure something out Etsuko-Chan, don't worry" she soothed.

Hiroshi placed his hand on her other shoulder, and Etsuko looked down when she felt a small hand grip her pants. Lopmon smiled up at her, "I promise I'll do everything I can to protect your family Etsuko" she said. The brown-haired girl felt tears well in her eyes, and she smiled weakly. In an instant the Kamiya had knelt down and wrapped her Partner into a hug, "thank you, all of you" she whimpered through her sobs. She felt small arms wrap around her from the back, and looked behind her to see her cousin's Partner, Terriermon hugging her from behind, "if you're important to Hiroshi, then you're important to me. I'll help as much as I can!" he proclaimed. Etsuko nodded and wiped her tears away before standing up, "okay, let's go get the rest of our family!" she exclaimed.

**_Ð_**

After discussing it, the group decided that, Etsuko, Hiroshi and Kirin along with their partners would go to the Kamiya household and pick up Makoto-San, and Akira-San. The reason for this was because Salamon, when she evolved again was extremely powerful for a Champion and could protect the older man and pregnant woman better. Izumi would have volunteered herself and Patamon, who's Champion form could carry them safely away, but unfortunately, Patamon was still in her Digi-egg, and wouldn't be much help. As the group left, Izumi sighed. Her mother looked at her, "is something wrong dear?" she asked. "I just, wish I could do more than this. If my Partner hatched and could Digivolve to her Champion form, then we could help too, but- I just feel useless right now Mama" she replied sadly.

Nori smiled and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder, "you'll get your chance to help, but for now, be thankful that everyone is safe, okay Izu-Chan?" she asked. The blue-haired girl smiled and rubbed Patamon's Digi-egg, "right" she replied.

**_Ð_**

Holding their partners, who were pretending to be stuffed toys, the three children walked down the street as normally as possible. Unfortunatly, they were also trying to stay on high alert for any danger involving Dragomon, the Dark Ocean, his minions or Wizardmon. So you can understand how much they were failing. The Digidestined bought train tickets and sat quietly in the vehicle as it travelled through the city. Terriermon and Lopmon wanted to explore, but a sideways glare from Salamon kept them still and quiet in their human Partners arms. Under the guise of pretending to check where they were going, Kirin, Hiroshi and Etsuko told their Digimon where they were going and how they were getting there. There was almost an incident where Lopmon was seen trying to steal food when the train trolly was pushed through, but Kirin was able to salvage the situation by buying a bunch of food for when they got off.

By the time they did and had found a safe place to eat, the Digimon looked ravenous. A few minutes later all the food had been devoured and they were on their way again, this time in a Taxi. Having to play "Stuffed toys" again wasn't what the Digimon wanted, but when they were promised that it was almost over, then they wouldn't have to do it again for a while, the three agreed to it. Finally they reached their destination, "okay you guys, you've all done a great job so far, but we're gonna need you to play stuffed toys one more time until we explained everything to my Kaa-Chan- I don't want to freak her out when it might hurt her or the baby" Etsuko explained. Their Partners let out a collective sigh of dismay, but obediently sagged in the human's arms. The young girl knocked on her door. Akira Kamiya opened the door and smiled, "you're home Etsuko-Chan, oh! And you brought Hiroshi-Kun for a visit too! How wonderful, please come in" he said cheerfully.

Etsuko smiled, "I'm home Oji-Chan, how is Kaa-Chan?" she asked, though on the inside she was trying to think of way to convince them to leave with them. None of them had any idea how long they had until Dagomon began his attack, they had to leave now! But how to convince her family? They didn't have time to introduce the Digimon as living beings and then explain everything that would undoubtably come up! "She's fine, the Doctor said the baby should come any day now" Akira replied with a smile. Hiroshi placed his hand on his cousin's shoulder to calm her again. She smiled back gratefully as they entered her Kaa-Chan's bedroom. She was sitting on an arm chair, her stomach really huge, showing just how close her baby was to being born. Both Etsuko and Hiroshi hugged the woman gently, before the young girl's face gained a serious look. Then took a deep breath, "do you both remember that Anime I watch sometimes, Digimon?" she asked. Both the adults nodded, "well, it turns out that it's not just an Anime" Etsuko replied.

Lopmon perked up and waved, "hello, it's nice to meet you both, my name is Lopmon, and I'm Etsuko's Digimon Partner" she said, introducing herself. At her families shocked look, the brown-haired girl placed her Partner on the ground where she stood by herself easily, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before, I was just worried that the extra stress wouldn't be good for Kaa-Chan right now, so I kept it a secret" she explained. Both adults stared wide-eyed at Lopmon, before she walked up to Makoto and held out her hand, "hello, my name is Lopmon, and I'm your daugher's Digimon Partner. Thank you very much for having her, I waited so many lives to meet her" she said happily. After a moment, Makoto smiled back, "you're very welcome dear, Etsuko is my treasure, so please look after her for me" the woman replied.

Etsuko shifted awkwardly, "Kaa-Chan, I-" she began, but her mother held up a hand, "I may not understand everything that's going on, but do you really need to do this?" she asked, placing a hand on her stomach. The brown-haired girl nodded, "I do! It's the only way to protect you, and my little Imotou!" she replied determinedly. Makoto nodded, "then I'll believe in you baby" she replied. Both Etsuko and Hiroshi smiled with relief, "so what do you need us to do?" Akira asked.

**_Ð_**

Everyone sat worriedly on the bus and train back to the Kain household. Akira wasn't sure about this, but they had no idea where this "attack" would come from. So the safest and quickest option was to use the same method that his Grandson and his friends had used to get there. Everyone on the bus and train politely made space for the heavily pregnant woman, and the three Digidestined and Digimon spent the whole time trying to stay calm. Just as they reached Marks house, Hiroshi, Kirin and their Digimon stiffened. Etsuko and Lopmon shivered at the feeling of darkness around them, as did the adults, "what is this? Why is it so cold all of a sudden?" Makoto asked, rubbing up and down her arms to try and warm up. Suddenly the city's emergency evacuation alarms went off. Kirin looked around in horror as a mist seemed to form in the air and the familiar feeling intensified.

"Oh no- it's here!" he cried. "What is?" Etsuko asked, Lopmon beginning to tremble violently. "The Dark Ocean!" Salamon cried, also trembling as though she were in a snow storm.

To Be Continued


	23. The Dark Ocean

Everyone stared up at the huge wave in horror, but none moreso than the Digidestined. They knew this feeling. They knew that water. Makoto clutched her stomach, feeling her heart begin to beat rapidly. Just the water was bad enough, a wave so big that it could be considered a Tsunami, but somehow the coldness was coming from the wave itself. Hiroshi and Kirin stood rooted to the spot, tears forming in the Yagami's eyes, "oh please no, not again!" he begged, clutching his head as though he were in pain. Etsuko clutched her cousin close, seeming to be unsure weather she should be comforting him or running for it herself, "w-what is that?!" she cried. "The Dark Ocean!" Kirin cried, beginning to sob, while his legs grew weak, "we can't get away from it- it'll just keep coming after us until we give in!" he whimpered.

Akira stared at his Granddaughter as her shivering increased and she tightened her hold on her Cousin, even though she seemed just as terrified by whatever this "Dark Ocean" thing was too. "Guys snap out of it! Your family needs you!" Terriermon exclaimed. "He's right Kirin! If you give up now, who'll protect your parents!" Salamon cried. Kirin and Hiroshi gasped and looked up, "you're right, but-" the two stared to the huge wave, "what can we do against that?!" Hiroshi replied. Suddenly something snapped up around them, lifting the eight of them high into the air above the dark water. The adults screamed, Kamaiya-San being the loudest of all of them, as she clutched both her stomach and heart in shock, "w-what's happening?!" she cried. "Never fear, I have you now!" a voice that was familiar to the children called. They looked up, fingers curled around the net and cheered, "Falcomon! You saved us!" Hiroshi cried. The adults looked up to see a large bird gripping the net with it's claws and flying them over the wave.

"You're all very welcome! Now, I shall take us all back to Marks house" the Bird Digimon answered their unspoken question. "Falcomon! The Dark Ocean is in the Real World! Is his house going to be safe for us!?" Etsuko called. "Oh yes, it is near the middle of the city, the Dark Ocean has only just started encroaching on the outskirts for the moment" Falcomon replied. The Digidestined sighed, but Etsuko turned to her Kaa-Chan. Thankfully no one was leaning on her belly. "Are you alright Kaa-Chan?" she asked, worried that all of this may be too much for her nerves to take. "Hm?" Makoto asked, turning to see her daughter staring at her with concern. She smiled and brushed her concern off, "of course I'm alright now, we're all safe, and I get to see this wonderful view of the city, despite the evil water flooding it- I'm fine dear" she replied. The brown-haired girl frowned slightly and looked down at Lopmon, who was currently in her arms, afraid of how high up they were, "if you say so" she muttered.

**_Ð_**

_(Back at the Kain household) _Meanwhile back with the others, Izumi was pacing around worriedly. Mark placed his hand on the girl's shoulder, "don't worry, Falcomon will help them if they're in trouble, and then bring them here" he said reassuringly. The blue-haired girl smiled slightly as she turned to face him, "thanks Mark, I'm just worried, what if they couldn't get out in time before the Dark Ocean got them? What if they couldn't convince Hiroshi and Etsuko's family to come with them?" she muttered. "Everything will be fine, I know we don't have someone here with the Crest of Hope, but we can't just assume the worst. The others will be fine, besides, I sent Falcomon to get them, you know how he is, right? There's no way he'd give up until he was data-bits" the part Aboriginal boy replied.

Izumi smiled and nodded, "right, we just have to believe in our friends" she said, hugging Patamon's Digi-egg close. Suddenly said egg began to shake. The blue-haired girl gasped, "hey, I think my Digi-egg is hatching!" she called. Everyone, even the adults rushed up, wondering what a Digimon hatching looked like. Turns out it was much like a regular egg hatching. Part of the top cracked and lifted up. And there, peeking up at everyone with black bead-like eyes was Poyomon. Izumi gasped as the baby jumped out of the egg and into her hands, "Poyo- Poyomon!" the jellyfish type Baby exclaimed excitedly. The Yukari felt tears come to her eyes and smiled, "oh Poyomon, you're back!" she said happily, bringing her daughter close to her face and giggling as she nuzzled her cheek.

All the parents and other children "aaaaawwwwwww'd" at how cute the scene was. Izumi hugged Poyomon close, "Mama's here baby, I'm right here" she said as Poyomon squeaked happily. Yukari-San walked up to them, "hello Poyomon, I'm Izumi's Mama, I guess that makes me your Grandma, huh?" she introduced herself with a warm smile. "Let's get inside now, I'm sure we'll know when the others get back" Emiko suggested. Everyone agreed, but just as the group was turning to head inside, Poyomon began squeaking again and jumping up and down. "Huh? What's wrong?" Izumi asked, before turning to look where her daughter was looking. She gasped, "It's Falcomon and the others!" she exclaimed excitedly. Everyone turned to see that it was indeed the Bird Digimon. He was carrying a net with, what were presumably the others and their family.

**_Ð_**

As they were flown towards Mark's house, Makoto suddenly gasped. "What?! What's wrong!?" Etsuko demanded. Looking down, the woman saw liquid dripping through her pants and through the net, "I-I think w-we have to l-land now" she said shakily. "Why?" Terierrmon asked, looking back at the human woman. She clutched her stomach and groaned, "because the baby is coming, that's why!" She growled. Everyone gasped, even the Digimon. They might not know much about human reproduction, but they did know that having a baby in mid-air inside a giant net was probably _not_ a good thing! "Land now!" Etsuko demanded. "Alright, alright, you don't have to scream you know!" Falcomon replied indignantly. He landed on the lawn of someone's house, "Go get the others, tell them my Kaa-San is having her baby!" Etsuko ordered.

The Bird Digimon huffed, "'land now Falcomon, go get the others Falcomon' you'd think she was my partner instead" he muttered as he took flight again. Hiroshi, Terriermon, Kirin and Akira stayed with the groaning woman, while Etsuko and Lopmon ran up to the house and banged on the door, until it was opened by a very annoyed middle-aged man, "what is it?!" he demanded angrily. "It's my Kaa-San! She going into labour!" she cried. The man gasped and actually took in the scene on his front lawn, "well don't just stand there, get her inside!" he demanded.

**_Ð_**

By the time Falcomon had landed and explained the situation to the others, Makoto was already trying to push out the baby. The children were in another room, flinching and wincing every time the woman screamed. Etsuko was practically crushing Lopmon to death as she hugged her tighter every time she heard her Kaa-San cry out. Hiroshi was pacing backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, backwards- "will you cut that out!" Terriermon exclaimed, "you're driving me insane!" he cried, glaring slightly at his human partner. "Well what do you expect me to do! My Oba-Chan is going into labour, the city is being attacked and we're just sitting here!" Hiroshi exclaimed in frustration. Etsuko frowned, "she'll be okay Hiroshi, just try to calm down" she said.

The black-haired boy squeezed his eyes shut, tears threatening spill from them. Suddenly he felt a small hand on his leg. Looking down, he found Terriermon smiling up at him, "hey, it'll be okay, we'll beat this thing together, right?" he asked. Hiroshi smiled and wiped his eyes, "yeah, you're right- sorry about that guys" he said. The others nodded, "don't worry about it, if it was our parents or Aunts or anyone, especially in such a stressful situation, we'd probably be feeling the same way" Kirin said. "Why don't we watch some TV to take our minds off all of this for a while" Kirin suggested, picking up a TV remote and turning it on. It showed channel TV Asahi 2, a news channel. _"And as you can see, the downtown districts have been completely flooded by this strange water that seems to be giving off some kind of electrical interference. This is as close as we've been able to get to it without having our cameras completely white-out"_ a reporter said as the LIVE camera footage showed a large portion of the downtown area flooded by- the children watching gasped.

The entire downtown area was flooded by black water, a heavy fog drifting through the air. All of the children and Digimon could only stare in horrified silence at the images on the screen, _"nobody knows what this strange phenomenon is, only that whoever goes near it seems to fall into some kind of phsycosis-" _she began, showing images of people screaming and sobbing before the picture began to get fuzzy,_ "trying to treat *bzzzztt* dangerous *sssshhhhhhhh* advised not go near *flicker* evacuate *sssssssshhhhhhhhh* be careful" _was the last thing heard before the picture cut out completely, leaving the children and Digimon staring in horror as the thought crossed all of their minds: _'this is real'_.

To Be Continued


	24. The birth of new Hope

Etsuko and Hiroshi were allowed in the room first when the baby was born. The girl looked extremely nervous, "hey, what's wrong?" Hiroshi asked. His cousin frowned and looked down, "what if- I can't be a good big sister? What if I can't protect her? What if she gets hurt during this attack, all because I wasn't good enough?" Etsuko muttered, beginning to shake. The black-haired boy wrapped his arms around the girl, "I know you'll be a great big sister, and do you know how I know that?" he asked. The Kamiya shook her head, "it's because you're one of the most loving and kind people I know. You'll protect you your baby sister no matter what it takes. I truly believe that Etsuko" Hiroshi explained. The brown-haired girl looked shocked for a moment before smiling warmly at her cousin, "right, let's go see her" she replied. Lopmon nodded, beaming, "that's the spirit!" she cried.

On entering the room, Etsuko's eyes widened. Her Kaa-San was laying on a bed, looking tired but happy, holding a small bundle to her chest. Akira stood next to her daughter, smiling with pride, "it's okay Etsuko-Chan, Hiroshi-Kun, you can come in" he said softly. The two did so, with their Digimon staying back by the door. Makoto smiled up at her daughter and Nephew, "come meet your newest family member you two" she said softly. Both children came forwards, peeking into the wrapped bundle in the woman's arms. The baby had a soft little tuft of chocolate-brown hair and she slowly blinked open pale grey eyes that would probably darken as she grew. "She's so cute" Etsuko breathed, reaching up and stroking her baby sister's cheek with her finger. Hiroshi had a big smile on his face, "what are you gonna call her Oba-San?" he asked, _'my Neice! I have a Neice!'_ he thought. "Her name will be Kisa, our little blossoming hope" Kamiya-San replied.

_'__Hope'_ Hiroshi thought. Suddenly a bright light appeared in the air. Everyone gasped and looked up. Something was forming out of the light. Suddenly, a Digiegg, Digivice and tag and Crest fell out of the air. Hiroshi quickly caught the egg before it could land on his Oba-San and new Neice, while Etsuko caught the Digivice and Tag and Crest. "What just happened?" Akira asked in shock. Suddenly the Digiegg Hiroshi was holding began to shake and crack. When it fully broke open what looked like a seed pod with eyes poked it's head out. After shaking off the rest of the egg, the Baby Digimon looked around, cooing uncertainly. However, the moment it spotted Kisa, it's eyes lit up and the little Digimon crawled over to the baby. Upon reaching her, Makoto flinched, causing the little Digimon to cower against the bed, "It's okay Kaa-Chan, this Digimon seems to be Kisa's Partner, as amazing as that sounds, so I don't think he'd hurt her" Etsuko assured.

Slowly, the woman relaxed and the Baby slowly and carefully moved forwards again. Kisa couldn't see yet, but when her hand brushed up against something soft, she cood softly. The Digimon cood back and moved closer, brushing up against Kisa's face with it's soft fur. As soon as it did, the baby girls Partner began to purr happily, sending a vibrating tickle through the newborn baby that caused her to giggle. Everyone smiled at the adorable sight. Lopmon stepped forwards, "that's Popmon, they eventually Digivolve into Leomon, a very powerful Champion Digimon- you won't have to worry about your daughter later on in life, Leomon are very loyal, he or she will protect Kisa no matter what" she explained.

As everyone nodded at the information, Hiroshi picked up the Tag and Crest the had also appeared, "this is-" his eyes widened. "What is it Hiroshi-Kun?" Mikami asked his Grandson. He showed them the Crest, "this Crest, it's the Crest of Hope. Fitting after what you decided to name her Mikami-Oba-San" he explained. Everyone smiled, before a dark look crossed Hiroshi and Etsuko's faces, "everyone, we have to go now" Hiroshi said. Akira looked up at them with wide eyes, "what! Why?" he asked. "You saw that Dark wave of water before, it's from the Dark Ocean," Kirin explained. "And when we watched the News just now, we found that it's begun to flood the whole city!" Etsuko continued. "It's making people go crazy just by being near it!" Salamon added, "if we don't do something, everyone in the city, or even the world could end up suffering from this thing!" she explained. "Not to mention Dragomon is still out their somewhere! This madness won't end until we beat him! It won't be safe for Kisa-Chan or anyone else if we don't fight back!" Hiroshi cried. "So please- let us go fight to protect all of you" Etsuko begged, bowing deeply. Everyone else did as well, "please!" they begged.

The adults all looked at each other, before sighing, "we know that we can't stop any of you- that you'd just go anyway even if we forbid it. So we have just one thing to say to all of you" Akira said solemnly. **"win and come back safe"** they all said at the same time. Each of the Digidestined stood up and smiled, "we will" Kirin replied. "Hey, don't forget about us!" Salamon called from the door. Everyone turned to look at the Digimon. "We'll all protect them, no matter what it takes, so don't you worry, okay? Your kids are safe with us!" she proclaimed. Everyone smiled.

**_Ð_**

As the three children left with their Digimon, their parents sighed, "please be safe," Makoto said, looking down at her daughter who was sound asleep, Popmon curled up next to her, "your Imoto-Chan needs her Nee-Chan around to love her too" she muttered so that she wouldn't wake her.

**_Ð_**

The three Children took the train as far as it was able to go, then ran back to Mark's house, looking around for any evil Digimon sent by Dragomon. Thankfully it seemed like the evil ruler of the Dark Ocean was keeping his distance for now. "Do you really think they'll be okay on their own?" Etsuko muttered. "They'll be fine Etsuko, don't worry, besides, they're much closer to Mark's house now, if we need to check on them it's not that far to go" Lopmon reminded. "Oh yeah, but, what if they get attacked, what then?" she asked. "Then we do what we always do, take out the evil Digimon and protect our loved ones" Kirin replied, Salamon looking at him in pride. He'd gained so much more confidence since going to the Digital World.

The girl still looed worried, so Hiroshi smiled, "She's my baby Itoko (cousin) too Etsuko. I promise I won't let anything happen to her" he said seriously. Etsuko was silent a moment, before smiling, "yeah, we can do this!" she replied confidently. Suddenly Lopmon tackled her backwards, "look out!" she cried as an attack hit the ground just inches away from where she'd landed. Etsuko shivered at the close call. "We've got company!" Salamon exclaimed. "You ready?" Kirin asked her. The dog-like Digimon nodded, "let's go!" she cried, leaping into the air, as Kirin's Digivice began to glow, "Salamon, Digivolve too… Gatomon!" the Champion cat-like Digimon cried. Gatomon leapt at the evil Digimon, "Lightning Paw!" she exclaimed, punching the Digimon so hard, he slammed into the one behind him. "Cats Eye Hypnotism!" she cried, staring into the eyes of one of their opponents, who happened to be a Dark Tyrananmon.

The hypnotised Digimon turned to it's comrades and began to attack. "Lightning Kick!" Gatomon exclaimed, taking out another Digimon in their path. "We have to do something Teriermon! Let's go!" Hiroshi exclaimed. "Now you're talking!" The white and green rabbit-like Digimon exclaimed. He spun around so fast that he looked like a miniature whirlwind, "Terrier Tornado!" he exclaimed, slamming into one of the Digimon and knocking it back, but not doing much damage. Before the targeted Digimon could retaliate, sharp claws stabbed it through the stomach. The Digimon exploded into specks of Data, "thanks for the help guys!" Gatomon called, before going to attack another Digimon. However, as Hiroshi and his Partner were distracted, another enemy charged at them from behind. "Blazing Ice!" a voice called and the enemy was stabbed through with a large icicle begore shattering into particles of Data. The black-hair boy and Terriermon looked behind him to see Etsuko and Lopmon take a position so as to be back-to-back with them, "we've got your back, just focus on the front!" Lopmon said.

Hiroshi grinned, "thanks you guys!" Etsuko smirked, "someone's gotta keep you two from getting killed" she replied. "Besides, we made a promise to your family that we'd protect all of you" Lopmon added. "You know, for the first time since all of this started, I'm not afraid, maybe it's because I've gotten used to it, but I don't think that's it," Hiroshi said. His Cousin turned to look at him out of the corner of her eye and smiled, "I'm not scared because this time, we have Hope on our side! And I know that as long as we don't give up, we can and will win!" the black-haired boy cried in determination.

To Be Continued


	25. Together again

While Kirin, Hiroshi and Etsuko were battling their way back through the city, at the Kain Household, Izumi was pacing worriedly, the newly hatched Poyomon watching her go. "I can't just sit here and do nothing! The city is under attack and my friends are out their fighting, I'm their leader, I'm supposed to be with them!" the blue-haired girl exclaimed in frustration. Her Mama watched her worriedly, "Izu-Chan, I'm sure they've got everything under control and are going to be here any moment now" Nori said, trying to calm her daughter down. "But we're supposed to be a team! What good am I if I can't help them?!" she cried angrily. "Don't worry Izumi, I'm sure they'll be fine, we just have to keep believing in them" Koko replied.

Izumi turned to the young red-haired girl, before sighing, "you're right, I guess I should have more faith in them, huh?" she replied with a small smile. Shiro entered the room, "hey, lunch is ready!" she called, "if we want our Digimon to be able to fight properly, they all need to eat well, right?" the white-haired girl called with a smile. Nori stepped up to her daughter, "Shiro-Chan is right, let's all go have some lunch and then you can go look for the others, okay?" she asked. The blue-haired girl sighed, "yeah, okay" she replied, before allowing herself to be led into the dining room. After eating their fill, Poyomon began to glow, Izumi's Digivice beeping as well, "Poyomon, Digivolve toooo…. Tokomon!" The In-Training Digimon cried as the light faded. "Wow, so that's what it looks like when a Digimon Digivolves" Emiko Uchiwa muttered in awe.

The white Digimon began to stretch, "ah, that's better, been a while since I've had legs" Tokomon said, sighing when her joints had popped into place again, "whoo, I missed being able to talk too" she replied. Izumi picked up the small, white Digimon, "I've missed you Tokomon" she said happily, tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes. Tokomon smiled back, nuzzling the girl, "I've missed you too Mama" she replied. The two looked up to see all of the adults smiling warmly. As they finished their dinner, Brendon decided to turn on the TV. The channel was TV Asahi 2, a News channel. _"We've moved away from the phenomenon now, and that seems to have fixed the problem with our equipment. As you can see the streets near this district as deserted, and-" _Suddenly their was a flash and what sounded like an explosion nearby, _"what is- there's something going on over there, and we are moving to report it to you!" _the woman said.

_"__What! Nori, we can't-" _another voice, probably the camera man began, but Nori was already running towards the sounds of battle, _"Nori! Oh come on!"_ the camera man groaned in frustration, before he began to follow the reporter down the street. Rounding a corner, both stopped dead, recording the sight before them for the entire country to see. Izumi, Shiro, Koko and the adults stared in shock at the sight of Kirin, Hiroshi and Etsuko fighting off a group of evil, corrupted Digimon. _"There seems to be three children and strange creatures battling more strange creatures. Who these children are, we don't know, but they appear to be holding their own" _Nori narrated. _"Go for it Terriermon!" _Hiroshi cried._ "Terrier Tornado!" _The bunny-like Digimon cried, his spinning creating a mini whirlwind and knocking a group of enemy Digimon into the air, _"your turn Gatomon!" _Kirin ordered.

_"__Right! Lightning Paw!" _Gatomon replied, taking them out quickly. A group of Digimon headed over to some buildings where you could just barely make out people hiding, _"I don't think so! Lopmon!" _Etsuko exclaimed. _"Blazing Ice!" _the small brown and pink Digimon that was Terriermon's twin cried. Multiple icicles formed from a ball of cold air in front of Lopmon's mouth and she shot them towards the evil Digimon, destroying them with one attack. Izumi stood up, "we have to get out their and help them!" she exclaimed in determination. "But your Partner's only just reached her In-Training stage, and besides- what if those Digimon attack us here? We can't stop them on our own!" Nori replied. "So far no evil Digimon have appeared around here they seem to be focused around where the Dark Ocean is. If you stay here, you should be fine," Izumi replied, looking down. She then looked up, "But those are our friends out there, trying to fight against this thing, while protecting civilians. I can't just sit here while they risk everything to protect others! Mama, before all of this started, I had no friends of my own. Everyone at School thought I was weird because of my Aspergers. Then Mark came up to me and asked to be friends," she looked up at him and smiled, which he returned.

"Then I went to the Digital World and made more friends than I've ever had before," Izumi said, thinking about all the humans and Digimon who had become her friends, "now my friends are in trouble, and I won't just stand here and do nothing- I will fight by their side and help them defeat this evil! For everyone" she said resolutely, as her Crest began to glow. Tokomon, who'd just finished eating, glowed brightly, "Tokomon, Warp Digivolve tooo….. Yukimon!" The Snow-Angel Digimon cried as the light faded. The adults all gasped in shock and wonder as Izumi climbed on her Partners back and Shiro, Mark and Koko got ready to go too. Nori looked at all of them with tears in her eyes, before her legs gave out, forcing Hikari to grab her, "but you're just children!" she sobbed, "please Izumi! You're all I have left! If I lost you, *sob* I couldn't-" she whimpered. Izumi walked up to her Mama and hugged her tight, "I know Mama, but if we don't at least _try_ to stop all of this madness, things will just keep getting worse! I'm sorry for leaving, but I, no, _we_ have to- for all of you" she replied softly, before letting go.

Yukimon grabbed her Mama and looked over at the older woman crying on the floor, "don't worry Grandma, I promise I'll protect my Mama no matter what!" she said determinedly, causing Nori to look up. She sniffed, "you'd better" she muttered, voice slightly raw from her crying. Yukimon nodded then all the children left with their Partners. The brown-haired woman stared after them with teary eyes, "please be careful" she whispered.

**_Ð_**

As they flew towards the area of the city where the battle was taking place, Izumi looked over at the others. Yukimon was carrying her in her arms bridal style, but the others had to be carried in Falcomons net. Shiro, Koko and Mark were all squished together in the net, along with two Digimon, but they didn't complain, knowing that it wasn't nearly as uncomfortable for them as it had been for the adults who had been transported the same way earlier in the day. So they put up with the cramped traveling conditions and kept an eye out for their friends down below. Hiroshi, Etsuko and Kirin were near one of the flooded parts of the city, being attacked by a small army of evil Digimon, it shouldn't be too hard to find them.

Suddenly a small explosion sounded and Yukimon looked down, "Mama?" she asked. Izumi nodded, "let's go check it out Yukimon" she agreed. And so Yukimon and Falcomon flew closer to the explosion, hoping to find their friends.

**_Ð_**

Hiroshi, Etsuko and Kirin were in trouble. While their partners had initially been able to take care of the evil Digimon in the area, with the Dark Ocean right there, more enemies just replaced them. And they just kept coming. It was just like the last time they had been in the Dark Ocean, except this time, innocent people were being effected too, so not only did the Digimon have to fight of hoards of enemies, they had to watch for any civilians in need of protecting as well. Due to this, the three were tiring quickly. Even Gatomon was more exhausted and worn down than last time. Of course last time she'd had five others to help her. This time there were only the three of them. She grit her teeth, things were looking bad. "Supersonic Wave!" a familiar voice cried, prompting Kirin and Hiroshi to cover their ears. Suddenly a high-pitched scream echoed from above them. Etsuko clapped her hands over her ears as their Digimon did the same, "what the heck is that?!" she screamed, but no one heard her over the high-pitched sound.

Thankfully it wasn't as bad as the first time since they were out in the open, but the sound was still painful. The moment in stopped, several shuriken flew down and hit many of the enemy Digimon in their vital areas with pin-point accuracy, causing them to burst into fragments of Data. "Hey!" Izumi called as Yukimon placed her safely down on the ground, and Falcomon released his net, allowing the other Digidestined to climb to their feet. Terriermon sighed in exasperation, "it's about time you showed up! We didn't know how much longer we could hold the line" he snapped. "Don't be rude now Terriermon, Mama and the others only just found out about this after all" Yukimon replied calmly. Everyone turned towards the dark water, where more enemy Digimon were pouring out, "you know, it's at times like this that I wish there were more than seven of us" Shiro sighed. "There's going to be eight in a couple of years" Etsuko replied with a grin.

"What do you mean?" Izumi asked in confusion. Hiroshi smiled, "it turns out my newborn cousin is a Digidestined" he replied. "WHAT?!" everyone who hadn't been their screamed. "Um, guys, as much as I want to tell you all about it, maybe we should focus on the seemingly never-ending army of evil Digimon invading our city who want to kill us first?!" Kirin cried. Everyone turned back to the Dark Ocean to see that, yes, even more Digimon had emerged from the waters while they had been talking, "oh for gods sake! What even are these things anyway!?" Etsuko exclaimed in frustration. "They look like Scubamon, aquatic Digimon that live in the ocean" Gatomon Lalamon replied. "Well, whatever they are, they're still trying to kill us, so let's get going!" Izumi exclaimed. Everyone tensed, the Digimon especially, getting ready for a big battle. Suddenly they all retreated into the water.

"Huh, well that was anti-climactic" Terriermon said. Before they could do anything else, another huge wave from the Dark Ocean reared up, "oh no, not again!" Kirin cried. Unfortunately, with buildings right behind them, there was no where to run this time and the wave crashed into the children and their Digimon. When it receded, all that was left was an empty street with the waves from the Dark Ocean lapping seemingly calmly at the shore.

To Be Continued


	26. Wizardmon

When Izumi woke up, she was relieved to find Patamon right beside her, "Patamon? Patamon, wake up, it's Mama" she said, shaking the small Digimon slightly. Patamon groaned, opening her red eyes and standing up, "oh, what hit us?" she asked, groaning again. "The Dark Ocean" Izumi replied darkly. That caused Patamon to groan even louder than before, "_why_ does this thing want us so bad! I mean seriously! Can't it leave us alone for, like a week or something at least before it starts invading our world and kidnapping us again! Jeez!" she muttered in frustration. Izumi smiled slightly at her daughter's rant, "you're right, too bad Dragomon wants to destroy us, huh?" she asked. She stood up, "is everyone here and okay?" she asked, looking around. Kirin stood up with Gatomon helping by pushing him, "ah, yeah, we're okay over here, just very wet" he replied, as Gatomon scowled down at her soaked fur.

"I-I'm okay, so is Cutemon" Shiro muttered, shivering. Koko held Lalamon tight, "I guess I'm okay, aside from, you know- being back here again" she replied. Hiroshi sat up, spitting out sand as he did, pulling Terriermon close, "I'm as good as I'll ever be in this place" he muttered. "Good, that just leaves-" Izumi began, before looking over at where Etsuko was kneeling, clutching Lopmon and both were shivering fiercely. _'I guess I should have expected that, not only has Etsuko never been here before, but Lopmon is a Light attributed Digimon, she would feel the Darkness and evil of this place a lot stronger that all of them, except maybe Gatomon and Patamon' _Izumi thought. She stood up shakily, barley supressing shivers of her own and walked over to the brown-haired girl. She held out her hand, "hey, it's okay, we'll all get through this together, okay?" she asked.

Etsuko looked up at her with eyes wide with fear, "h-how can you stand being in this place?" she asked, voice trembling. "We can't, we just have to endure it until we can get out again" the blue-haired girl replied. Etsuko, though still trembling, grabbed the other girl's hand and let herself be pulled to her feet, "okay everyone, we stay together. No matter what happens, _do not_ let yourself be separated from the group, understand?" Everyone made a noise of agreement, before they all began to walk through the Dark World cautiously. It was so quiet that you could hear everyone's quiet breathing and footsteps crunching in the grey sand. They also kept on the lookout for any evil Digimon Dragomon may have sent after them, or the Depraved Monk himself. Eventually they decided that it was safe enough to stop for a break.

Making a campfire, everyone sat rigidly around it, not making a sound, and jumping at every stick that snapped in the fire. Suddenly a voice called out: "Meteor Squall!" Small and large flaming rocks began raining down on the Digidestined, causing them to scatter out of the way, screaming as their campfire was demolished, leaving only a superheated crater in the sand, which was slowly turning to grey glass. Once the miniature meteor storm had ended, the children looked up at their attacker. Once the sand had settled, almost everyone gasped in horror at the sight before them. It was Wizardmon, but not the way they'd last seen him. His clothing was torn and burnt in multiple places; the skin underneath even worse. There were cuts and slashes all over his exposed body and his hair, which was usually tied into a neat ponytail at his neck was a mess. In short he looked like he'd been through hell since the last time they'd seen him.

Gatomon stepped forwards, despite Kirin's protests, "Wizardmon! What happened to you! You, _*gasp*_!" she cut herself off upon catching sight of the wizard Digimon's eyes. Where they were usually bright blue, now they were dull and lifeless, as though his soul had been sucked clean out of him. Tears formed in Gatomon's eyes and she brought her paws up to her mouth, "oh dear Seraphimon, what did he _do to you_!" she demanded. The small Champion was furious, as was her partner, "anyone who would dare to do something so horrible to _anyone_ doesn't deserve to live!" Kirin screamed. His hatred was so strong that his Crest went from glowing Lavender to almost black. Hiroshi's eyes widened in horror as Gatomon was enveloped in darkness, "oh no! no, no, no! Kirin, Gatomon! You've gotta calm down!" he called, as the others turned to look at him, "what is it?" Izumi asked. "You've w-watched the sh-show Izumi, what ha-ha-happened when a Digidestined uses their trait in the wr-wrong way or f-forces their pater to D-Digivolve?" he asked, trembling, eyes wide. It took a moment, before the girl's eyes widened in horror as well, "no! she's Dark Digivolving?!" the blue-haired girl cried.

"Right now, Kirin is furious and his hatred is overwhelming him. Hatred, which is the opposite to kindness, is making Gatomon Digivolve" Kirin explained. Izumi placed her hand over her mouth, staring over at her friend and his Partner with wide, horror-filled eyes, "and in this place- what kind of nightmare will that create?" she muttered, as Patamon cried in her arms, "make it stop! It's not right! Make it stop, please!" she begged, tears streaming from her eyes. When the light died down the Digimon that was revealed was _definitely not_ what should have Gatomon's Ultimate form. "That's-" Izumi whispered. "LadyDevimon" Hiroshi replied in terror.

**_Ð_**

Lopmon stared up at the corrupted Ultimate in shock, "oh dear Seraphimon" she murmured. "What the hell is that!?" Shiro cried, terrified and confused. What had happened to Gatomon? Something had obviously gone very wrong, but what? "Dark Digivolution" Mark muttered, frozen in horror at what he was seeing. The Albino turned to look at the part Aboriginal, "what?" she asked. "Dark Digivolution is what happened when you Digivolve your partner the wrong way, force them to Digivolve or Digivolve them with Dark feelings in your heart. Kirin's Crest is Kindness, but he Digivolved Gatomon with hatred in his heart, so the Crest and Digivolution was corrupted, resulting in a Dark Digivolution instead" Mark explained. "That's LadyDevimon, the female counterpart to Devimon, only she's worse. Devimon is only a champion level Demon Digimon. Lady Devimon however is an Ultimate, right now she's stronger than all of our Digimon put together, especially considering where we are" he finished.

"So she's basically a super powerful evil Digimon?" Shiro asked. Mark gulped, "givin we're in the Dark Ocean, and LadyDevimon can absorb dark energy to get stronger, I'd say she's closer to a Mega level Digimon right now" he replied. Shiro and Cutemon shrunk back in fear at those words, "no way" Cutemon whispered.

**_Ð_**

Kirin stared in shock at what his partner had turned into. "I-I didn't want that, I- I just wanted, to-" he collapsed to his knees, "no, Gatomon, what have I done?" he muttered. Wizardmon lifted his staff to the sky, "Electro Squall!" he cried, as a huge, powerful bolt of lightning flashed down from the sky. But LadyDevimon was no longer there, and the Lighting did nothing but blow another super-heated glass lined divot in the sand. "Stun whip!" she cried, slashing at the wizard Digimon with a whip made of lightning. Wizardmon, as injured as he was, wasn't able to dodge in time and got hit. Another gash opened in his clothes and the sent of burning flesh reach the children and Digimon, making Kirin want to throw up.

"Magical Game!" Wizardmon cried, and vanished. LadyDevimon didn't seem at all bothered though and reached out behind her, grabbing the controlled Digimon by the throat and choking him. "No! stop it!" Kirin screamed. The Fallen Angel Digimon threw Wizardmon to the ground below, but he disappeared as though he'd never been there. "Meteor Squall!" he cried again from bellow his enemy. LadyDevimon simply dodged each meteor with astounding ease. "Black Wing!" LadyDevimon exclaimed, appearing right in front of the wizard Digimon as her left hand changed shape into a long sharp spike, then impaled Wizardmon with it. Many of the children screamed as the corrupted Digimon gripped their friend by his neck, slowly squeezing. "STOP IT NOW!" Kirin screamed as loud as he could.

LadyDevimon looked down at the human boy as he ran up to where she was floating, despite the protests of the others. He panted, "Gatomon, I know you're still in there. Please, you have to stop, because this isn't you! I know this is all my fault and I'm sorry!" Kirin began to sob as he collapsed to the sand, "I'm so sorry- but if you're still in there, then please, come back to me!" he begged, locking eyes with the Fallen Angel, "please, I love you, so just come back!" he screamed. Suddenly LadyDevimon closed her eyes and deDigivolved back into Gatomon. All of a sudden two Digimon were falling out of the sky. "Falcomon!" Mark cried, "I'm on it!" he called as he flew up, caught Wizardmon on his back and Gatomon with his tallons.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the two unconscious Digimon were brought back to the ground. Checking over Gatomon, Kirin sighed with relief when he saw that she looked fine. Izumi walked up, "how is she?" she asked the blond boy. "Well, it's hard to tell right now, but she seems back to normal for the moment. "Izumi, should we try and get out of this world? Like we did the first time?" Koko asked. After a moment, the blue-haired girl nodded, "yeah, let's at least try you guys" she replied.

To Be Continued


	27. Back to the Digital World

After the others had explained to Etsuko what it was that she had to do, everyone stood in a circle holding hands with their Partners and Wizardmon in the middle. Each of them thought: _'I want to go to a safe place in the Digital World'_ until the same bright light from before began to surround both them, their partners and Wizardmon. **_"No! I won't let you leave again!" _**Dragomon roared, and tried to wash them out with the Dark Ocean itself. But the power the children were exuding, increased by Etsuko's presence, grew even faster than the previous time, and the light was searingly bright. So bright that it began to burn the Master of the Dark Ocean just by being so close to it, **_"Aaaaaarrrrgggggg! This is not the end Digidestined! I will destroy you yet!"_** he roared angrily. Then everyone vanished in the light.

**_Ð_**

In a bright flash all the children, Digimon and Wizardmon appeared in a cave. Looking outside, Lalamon shivered, "oooo, that is a looooong way down" she said. "What do you mean? Where are we?" Izumi asked, walking to the mouth of the cave and was almost instantly blown backwards by a powerful gust of wind. Shielding her eyes, the blue-haired girl gasped when she saw where they were. The top of a mountain. And all around the base of it was the Dark Ocean. The young girl gaped, and all she could manage to say was: "high". "Huh? What is?" Koko asked, going over to look before she gasped and swooned, nearly falling off the edge, "woah, carful Koko!" the blue-haired girl called, grabbing her before anything could happen. The little girl took several steps back into the cave, "how is this safe? we're so high up, one of us could fall and die!" she cried, shaking, her eyes wide.

Tokomon frowned, "Koko, are you afraid of heights?" she asked. "No, I just don't like being at a height that'll kill me if I fall from it! What do _you_ think?" the red-haired girl replied, beginning to tremble. "Okay, just try to calm down Koko, you're not going to fall, because you are going to stay inside this cave, okay?" Izumi said calmly. Koko took deep breaths and moved to the edge of the cave, clinging to the rock, "okay, okay" she repeated. By this point most of them had gotten up. Gatomon moaned, "oh Seraphimon, my head is pounding!" she held her head in her paws. Kirin went to help her up, but faltered. It was _his_ fault she was like that after all. She looked around, before her eyes widened as they fell on Wizardmons unmoving form, "Wizardmon! What happened to you!?" she demanded as she got to her feet and ran over to him.

Now Kirin felt like shit for what he'd done to both of them, but he didn't have time for that, "oh my lord, look at these wounds! Lalamon, I need help over here!" Gatomon cried, after getting a good look at her friend's body. When the Plant Digimon got to work on trying to treat the wizard Digimon's wounds, Gatomon looked furious, "did Dragomon do this to him! I swear, when I get my hands on that tentacled _bastard_-" she began before being cut off, "Dragomon did cause most of Wizardmon's injuries, but that big one, the hole in his stomach? That was caused- by you" Kirin muttered morosely. The Cat Digimon's eyes went wide, "wh-what? I-I wouldn't-" she began, before her partner interjected again, "I'm sorry, it was all my fault!" he sobbed. "I, I was so _furious _at what Dragomon had done to Wizardmon, that I forced you to Digivolve to Ultimate. But because I had so much hatred in my heart at the time, and because we were still in the Dark Ocean, it went wrong. You- Dark Digivolved Gatomon," Kirin paused, tears welling up in his eyes.

"You Digivolved into LadyDevimon and nearly killed Wizardmon yourself. If I hadn't managed to calm you down, then you would have killed him, and probably us too" the blond boy broke down sobbing after that, and the only think that could be heard was the occasional: "sorry". Gatomon stared at her Partner, no, her friend- one who'd made a huge mistake, but knew that, and felt so guilty that he couldn't stop apologising for it. The Cat Digimon took a deep breath and released it, "I'm not mad at you Kirin. You made a mistake, just like everyone else does. You're not perfect and neither am I. I forgive you as long as we both work hard to make sure that it doesn't happen again, okay?" she asked, smiling at the end. The blond wiped his eyes and nodded, "I'll do my best!" he said in determination.

"Hey, guys?" Lalamon called. Everyone looked over at her, "I can't treat him like this, his wounds are infected and he's getting a bad fever. I need to treat the fever, and his wounds, I can't do that without medicine" she explained. "How are we going to get that? There aren't exactly an abundance of Pharmacy's around here" Shiro replied. "No, but we can use medicinal Herbs to make it, there should be some growing near water. So go find some fresh water and herbs that look like a serrated knife on one side" Lalamon ordered. Mark, Hiroshi and their Digimon decided to go, while the others stayed to guard the cave and watch over Wizardmon. Said Digimon whimpered and panted from both the fever and the pain of his wounds. With Izumi's help, Koko removed his tattered and dirty clothing so that Lalamon could get a good look at the state of his injuries.

"This is bad," she muttered, examining the bruises, cuts and burn mark all over their friends' body, "of course Dragomon wouldn't bother treating any of the injuries he gave Wizardmon to break him mentally, what was I thinking?" she asked sarcastically. Izumi frowned down at the state of the Digimon. Dragomon must have really put him through hell. Both Estuko and Koko felt tears well up in their eyes. Koko's out of sadness for her friend, and Etsuko's out of sympathy for the poor Digimon. "Well we can't do anything until the others come back" Lalamon muttered. "Do you really think you can save him?" Koko asked her Partner. "Of course I can with the right treatment and items" Lalamon answered.

"We're back! We got the plants!" Mark called, "and the water!" Terriermon added. "Good, let's get to work!" Izumi said in determination, pushing up her sleeves.

**_Ð_**

Over the next few days, everyone worked together to treat Wizardmon and lower his fever. The Children took turns keeping watch and changing their friend's bandages and medicine. They used some of the water to try and reduce his fever, and gave him medicine periodically. When the humans had to sleep, the Digimon would keep watch instead. None of them liked hearing the Wizard Digimon moaning in pain, but there wasn't much they could do aside from try to make him comfortable. Eventually Shiro insisted on mending and washing his clothes, and so Wizardmon was moved closer to the fire and covered with a blanket. On the seventh day his fever finally broke. And on the eighth day Wizardmon started returning to consciousness. The first thing he found was that he could hear voices: "when do you think he's going to wake up?" a- girls? Voice asked.

"I'm not sure, but his fevers almost gone, so that's good. His injuries are also healing nicely now that his body isn't being wracked by infection" another girls voice replied. It was strange, hadn't he heard these voices before? "well, at least he's out of danger now, but we still need to be careful, even for a Digimon a fever can be bad" a different, but still distinctly female voice said. This one was more familiar to him, but from where? Who was it? "how's he doing Gatomon?" another voice, a boy this time, asked. "Lalamon says he's doing better, but she's not sure when he'll wake up" the third girl replied. Wait, Gatomon? Didn't he know a Gatomon? "I'm just glad that _those_ injuries aren't causing too much trouble" Gatomon replied. Soon he felt his consciousness slip away again.

**_Ð_**

The nest day Wizardmon opened his eyes. His vision was blurry as he looked around. He seemed to be in some kind of cave, with a fire nearby, flickering merrily. Moving slightly, the wizard Digimon found that he wasn't plagued by excruciating pain for the first time since _he_ came. Sitting up, he found that while he may have ached all over, it was much more manageable. Looking down, he found that he was- _naked!_ Wizardmon blushed bright red and yanked his blanket back up to cover himself, lower face and all. Looking around, he found his clothes, washed and mended and hanging over a rack made of sticks near the fire. Standing up shakily, still covering himself with the blanket, he slowly made his way over to his clothes.

Slowly and clumsily, Wizardmon dressed himself again and looked around. Suddenly his eyes widened. Their, curled up into a ball in a corner of the cave was Gatomon. She seemed to be having a nightmare if the fast breathing and whimpering was anything to go by. Slowly making his way over to his friend, the Wizard Digimon placed his hand gently on her back, "Gatomon, wake up" he said softly. Flinching hard, the Cat Digimon woke up and stared at the wall for a moment. Then she turned her head and looked up into the smiling face of Wizardmon, "good morning" he said softly. Gatomon's eyes widened and she slowly sat up, "Wizardmon, you're okay, and up!" she gasped, before throwing her arms around her friend and hugging him tightly.

The Wizard Digimon flinched at the strength of his friend's hug, before coughing out a laugh and patting her back, "I missed you too" he replied. It was at that point that the others came back. Upon entering the cave and seeing their friend awake and okay, the children and Digimon let out a cheer, before they all rushed forwards at once. "Oh, hey- wha- wait!" Wizardmon began upon seeing them, before getting buried under a pile of happy humans and Digimon.

To Be Continued


	28. Planning

Kirin stared down at his Crest. It had gone back to the same lavender colour that it normally was. But in his minds eye, he could see it turn black with his hatred, could hear his own voice calling out that Dragomon didn't deserve to live after what he'd done. He watched Gatomon change and he felt the desire to make those who threatened his friends _pay!_ The blond boy shivered and shut his eyes, but he could still see LadyDevimon attack Wizardmon, stab him, choke him! He clenched his hand around the Crest. Maybe he really didn't deserve the Crest of Kindness. "Kirin?" the boy snapped his eyes open. Gatomon was staring at him with a worried look on her face. He tried to smile, "hey Gatomon, what's up?" he asked. "Since Wizardmon is recovered now, he wants to tell us more about Dragomon's plans" the Cat-like Digimon replied.

Kirin nodded and put his Crest back into his pocket, "right," he replied, standing up and making his way over to the others with his Partner by his side. Upon reaching the rest of the Digidestined, they saw Wizardmon with clean and repaired clothes. He smiled at them, "Kirin, Gatomon, thanks for joining us" he said cheerfully. Kirin didn't know how to reply to that, so he kept quiet. As soon as he'd made sure that everyone was listening, the wizard Digimon became more serious, "alright, now, while I may have been captured for the last few weeks-" no one mentioned that it had only been days as far as they knew, "and under Dragomon's control, I still remember enough of what I saw and heard in that place to tell you about it" Wizardmon explained. Shiro frowned, "are you sure you're up for that? I mean, if it had been me, I wouldn't want to even _think _about what I'd been forced to do for a long time" she muttered.

The Wizard Digimon smiled slightly and shook his head, "it's fine, if you we ever want to defeat that bastard, you're going to need to know as much about him and what he's planning as possible" he replied. Izumi nodded, "okay, if you're okay with this, then please, tell us as much as you can" she said. Wizardmon nodded and continued, "Dragomon's plan is to flood most of both the Digital World and Earth with the Dark Ocean then use the remaining dry land to hold his slaves, those being any Digimon or humans that are left. He figures with a smaller amount of each, he'll be able to control the better with his evil aquatic Digimon and in that way, become the ruler of both worlds" Wizardmon explained. Everyone looked horrified by the thought. "And what about those who go insane from being so close to such a high amount of evil?" Mark asked.

Wizardmon sighed dejectedly, "he has no use for the weak" he muttered. At that, many of the kids looked sick. "We can't let that happen! W-we have to stop this somehow!" Shiro cried. "We can't just run in there; we need some kind of plan first!" Etsuko reminded her. "Estuko is right, now the hard part is coming up with a plan that will work" Izumi agreed.

**_Ð_**

The group spent hours trying to come up with a plan that had even the slightest chance of actually succeeding. So far though- "has anyone had any ideas?" Etsuko asked dejectedly. A collective groan was her answer, "me neither _*sigh*_!" she leaned back against the side of the cave, desperately trying to think of something, but was coming up with a blank. Izumi covered her face with her hands, "we _have _to at least try _something!_ If we don't then we may as well just give up and let everyone we love either die, go insane or become slaves!" the blue-haired girl cried. Patamon looked up, "hey Wizardmon, do you even know _when_ Dragomon is planning to do this whole thing?" she asked. The Wizard Digimon shook his head, "no, I was never given that much information" he replied. The Ice type Digimon looked down, "great" she muttered with a sigh. Wizardmon looked down, dejected, "I'm sorry that I can't be much help to you-" he began, but Gatomon tentatively placed a paw on her friends arm, "you've already helped us more than enough" she replied with a smile.

Etsuko nodded, "true, I may not know you as well as the others, but I can tell that you're a good Digimon who's had to put up with a lot of bad stuff happening to you. We can handle this, so you're more than welcome to sit this one out if you want to" she said. Wizardmon looked ready to object, but Kirin placed his hand on the shorter human-like Digimon's shoulder, "please, let us do this for you?" he asked. The Wizard Digimon sighed before sitting down again, "okay fine, but if you need help I'll come, okay?" he asked. The human's and Digimon nodded, "why don't you get some more rest for now?" Koko asked gently. Wizardmon nodded, "okay, thanks for saving me by the way guys" he replied, before laying back down again.

The children all turned back to look at each other, "how are we gonna do this?" Shiro whispered. Izumi shook her head, "I don't know, but whatever happens, we're in this together" she replied. Everyone nodded, "right".

**_Ð_**

As everyone else was sleeping, Kirin tossed and turned, trying to fall asleep. However, no matter what he did, the blond boy couldn't get to sleep. Sighing, the Uchiwa sat up and looked around. As he did, he glanced down at his Crest again. He frowned, what if he couldn't control his hatred again? What if, during the next battle he ended up hurting someone else through his actions? Kirin shivered covering his face with his hand, and tried to bite down his whimpers so as not to wake anyone else up, knowing that they needed their sleep. Suddenly a noise from behind him caught his attention, making him spin around to the source. Wizardmon was looking at the boy with wide, expressive eyes. "hey" he muttered quietly. The corner of Kirin's mouth quirked up a bit, "hey" he replied, watching the Digimon sit down next to him.

"Can't sleep either?" the Wizard Digimon asked, staring out over the Dark Ocean-flooded world. Kirin looked down, not being able to look at the dark water, "something like that" he muttered in reply. Wizardmon watched the boy out of the corner of his eye, "*sigh* It wasn't your fault Kirin- not yours or Gatomons" he said quietly. Kirin flinched- hard. He shivered, "but I was the one who made her Dark Digivolve, how is it not my fault?!" he asked, voice becoming high-pitched to avoid waking anyone else up. The Uchiwa placed his hand over one of his eyes, shuddering, "I turned my friend into that evil monster- LadyDevimon could have killed all of us, she nearly killed Wizardmon- and it was all my fault. Because I let my hatred get the best of me- if that happened again, it won't just be one person that's in danger, everyone would be in danger. A-and do know the w-worst part? _*Sob*_ I can still feel that hatred _*sniff* _deep inside my heart. I could n-never forgive myself if it happened again" Kirin whimpered, sobbing quietly into his hands.

Wizardmon placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "I can barely forgive myself for the first time _*sob*_" after he'd finished talking, Kirin began to take deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. "It'll be okay Kirin. We're going to beat this thing- together" he replied. Gatomon lay curled up near where her Partner had been sleeping, wide awake and biting her lip to keep from sobbing loudly. Tears were streaming down the Cat Digimon's face, soaking her fur, wishing that she could make her Partner, her _friend_ forgive himself. The amount of pain in Kirin's voice stabbed right though her heart. _'Oh Kirin, I promise, no matter what, we __**will**__ beat this evil together, and then go home'_ Gatomon thought.

**_Ð_**

The next day, (though with how dark it was now it could have been night time still) everyone began to get ready to go take on Dragomon. They were still very scared, but if they just ran away, who would protect their families and world? They all had too much to loose if they didn't fight, and they might die if they did. Kirin was silent, as was everyone else, though his silence was a different kind. He was lost in his thoughts, and nervous all at the same time. Suddenly a paw was placed on his shoulder. The blond Uchiwa looked over his shoulder at Gatomon, who smiled back. "Okay everyone, let's do this!" Izumi exclaimed. Everyone nodded and began to climb down the mountain towards the Dark Ocean itself.

To Be Continued


	29. The battle begins

Upon reaching the Ocean itself, the children faulted. "Y-you know, maybe this is a bad idea after all" Kirin said, shivering, "I mean, what are we even doing?" he asked. "We're going to defeat Dragomon and save our worlds and families" Izumi replied with as much confidence as she could muster, but she was shivering as well. "Maybe you all have families to protect, but I'm an orphan, I don't even _have_ a family" Koko replied. Lalamon frowned, "what are you saying?" she asked, hurt, "I thought I was your family, and the others too" she muttered. Shiro stepped back, "I don't think I can do this you guys" she replied, Cutemon taking her hand, "yes we can" she began, but the white-haired girl stepped back again, whimpering.

Mark tried to stay strong, "c-come on you guys, are we really going to let everyone we love b-become slaves, go insane or d-die?" he asked, though his voice was shaking. "That's rich coming from the guy who's so rich he probably has s-slaves of his own!" Shiro cried, suddenly angry. Mark frowned, "what's that supposed to mean?" he demanded. "Not all of us have perfect lives you know! You never had to deal with your Tou-San abandoning you and your Kaa-San to run off with another guy!" the Albino exclaimed. "I never said my life was perfect Shiro! At least you had friends before all this! I didn't even have one!" Mark replied angrily. "Hey come on, let's just clam down for a minute everyone, I'm sure we can work this out without fighting-" Koko tried to interject, now seemingly snapped out of her own anger, but Shiro whirled on her, "oh, now you're suddenly the expert, Miss. I-have-no-family?" she demanded.

"Guys stop it! We shouldn't be fighting each other!" Izumi had finally had enough and tried to stop the argument, but was stop down, "why don't you stay out of this, okay Izumi? We don't need you to be the leader _all _the damn time!" Mark snapped. The blue-haired girl flinched back at that remark and felt tears come to her eyes. As the argument intensified, Hiroshi and Etsuko stared at the others with wide eyes, "what is going on Hiroshi? Do they normally argue like this?" the brown-haired girl replied, to which her Cousin shook his head, "no, not that I've ever seen" he replied. He frowned suddenly and looked around, "what's wrong Hiroshi?" Terriermon asked, "is it just me or is the darkness getting, darker?" he asked. Etsuko and the twin Digimon looked around. The area was indeed becoming darker, miasma beginning to gather in the air and especially over the ocean, which was bubbling.

The other Digimon noticed this too, and tried to get their Partners attention, but all of the humans were too busy yelling to hear them. Finally, Cutemon had had enough and let out a Supersonic Wave which caused all the humans and Digimon to cover their ears, but thankfully everyone was still able to hear properly, "will you all shut up! Why are you wasting time arguing with each other when Dragomon is about to flood both our world with this thing! Why don't you focus on the problem at hand instead of wasting our time! Unless you don't care about your world and loved ones?" the rabbit-like Digimon exclaimed. Everyone blinked, as though a spell had been broken. Shiro rubbed her head, "sorry Cutemon, I don't know what came over me" she muttered, before hugging her partner, "thanks for snapping me out of it, whatever _it_ was" the white-haired girl replied. Everyone mumbled apologies.

"But really, what _were_ we all so angry at each other?" Izumi asked. "Because of the Darkness" Etsuko replied, pointing to the dark mist that now surrounded their feet, "it magnified everyone's dark emotions to make us fight with each other in an attempt to keep us from fighting it and Dragomon" she explained. Everyone stared at the swirling mist, "woah, so the Dark Ocean itself did that, not Dragomon?" Koko asked. "It looks like it's not just the master of the Dark Ocean that we have to beat, but the Darkness itself somehow" Kirin replied, adjusting his glasses. "Alright, from now on, we stay on task- we don't let any fears or dark emotions distract us, because we have no idea if they're from us or being manipulated by the Dark Ocean instead, deal?" Izumi asked. Everyone nodded, right!" everyone exclaimed. "You think you can defeat the Darkness so easily?" a horribly familiar voice called. As his huge form rose up from the depths, the children huddled together, "it's him!" Lopmon exclaimed in fear. "No, stay strong everyone! Don't let fear control you, because if you do, then you're just opening yourself for every dark emotion in this place!" the Yukari cried in determination.

"Do you think to defeat me in my own world?" The depraved monk cried. "We won't let you destroy our world Dragomon!" Izumi called. Dragomon laughed, "destroy _your_ world? Ha! Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourselves?" he replied with a laugh. He raised his trident, "Forbidden Trident!" he cried, his trident now glowing with darkness. Suddenly Etsuko stepped forwards, "you think I'd just stand here and let you kill my cousin and friends, or destroy my world, or turn my family into slaves?" she asked. "I am an older sister now, and it's my job to protect my baby sister. I refuse to give up and let someone like you win without ever even trying!" she cried, a bright golden light beginning to glow from under her feet. Hiroshi, Lopmon and Terriermon, who were standing nearest to her noticed this and gasped.

"Well I refuse to give up, because I know that we can do anything, even make miracles happen as long as we have someone who we love!" The brown-haired girl exclaimed in determination. Dragomon then threw the Trident at them so fast that the oceans waves actually parted from the force. Many of the children screamed in terror, but Hiroshi took his cousin's hand and stood resolutely next to her as the attack hit and a flash of bright light erupted from the impact. Within the light, a Crest floated. Etsuko stared at it in shock, something inside her was telling her that it was hers. Slowly she reached out her hand and took the Crest. The light faded, and with it Dragomon's Trident. "What?!" the evil Digimon demanded in fury. The Kamiya stared down at the Crest and suddenly she knew what it was, "this is- the Crest of Miracles" she breathed, everyone else staring at the girl with complete shock.

"What? No! not that!" Dragomon demanded, half in fury, half in fear. "Woah, that's awesome Itoko!" Hiroshi cried. Etsuko looked around at her- at her new friends and smiled. Then she focused on the prayer that was in her heart: _'I want us to be able to stop Dragomon and protect our loved ones!' _Suddenly most of the Digimon began to glow. "Patamon, Mega Digivolve too….", "Gatomon, Mega Digivolve too…..", "Lopmon, Mega Digivolve too….", "Lalamon, Mega Digivolve too….," "Falcomon, Mega Digivolve too…..," "Terriermon, Mega Digivolve too….." each one cried at the same time. The combination of colours from everyone's Digivolveing lit up the Dark Ocean like never before. Dragomon covered his face as he cried out. "Seraphimon!" "Ophanimon!" "Cherubimon!" "Lotusmon!" The former Lalamon cried. "Ravemon!" the Digimon that used to be Falcomon called. "MegaGargomon!" As the light died down enough to see, six Mega level Digimon now stood before the Depraved Monk.

Dragomon was now seriously freaking out. He was only an Ultimate level, there was no way, even with the Dark Ocean boosting him that he could take on six Mega level Digimon all at once. Unless- he grinned insanely, "you think you can beat me? Well you're about to find out just how wrong you are!" the Depraved Monk exclaimed, opening up a portal in space. Everyone gasped, "he can do that too! Then why did he always let us go whenever we opened portals of our own?!" Kirin demanded. "Guys we don't have time, look at where the portal leads!" Izumi cried. As they studied it, everyone's eyes widened in horror. On the other side of the portal was very obviously a city skyline from Earth! "no! we have to stop him!" Koko exclaimed. Lotusmon held out her staff, the one with intertwined snakes on the handle, "Serpent Ruin!" she cried, the black snakes eyes glowing red and shooting out a black energy from its mouth.

Unfortunately, the attack was deflected by the evil Digimon's trident, "what?" she asked, before having to dodge another: Forbidden Trident. His enemies distracted, the Depraved Monk made his way through the portal, "it's not over yet, let's go Cherubimon! Everyone!" Etsuko ordered, Crest of Miricals still glowing brightly. As they were flying towards the portal, Dragomon called back to them, "let's see how you fair when I crush your Hope!" "Our hope?" Koko asked in confusion, being carried in Lotosmon's arms. Suddenly Etsuko gasped in horror, "no! he's going after Kisa-Chan!" she exclaimed. Everyone was shocked and horrified at the length's to which the evil Digimon would go. "Faster Cherubimon! He's going after my baby sister!" the Kamiya begged. As they crossed through the portal it snapped shut behind them.

To Be Continued


	30. Two worlds, one family

As the small group of Digidestined followed after Dragomon, Izumi looked over at Etsuko, "hey! Are you okay?" she called. Cherubimon indicated the other girl when it seemed like her partner hadn't heard her, "sorry, I couldn't hear you, what!?" the brown-haired girl called over the rushing wind. "I asked if you were okay? You've been using your Crests power to sustain our Partners Mega forms, right!?" Izumi yelled. Etsuko shrugged, "sure I'm alright, and I'll be even better once we've stopped Dragomon and saved everyone!" she replied. The leader gave a thumbs up. "We'll be able to do this Mama" the female Seraphimon who was carrying her said reassuringly. The blue-haired girl nodded, but spluttered as some of her hair went in her mouth as she did. "Right! Thanks dear!" she replied. "We're about to leave the travel gate! Everyone brace yourselves!" Kirin called as they shot through the exit and out into the open air again.

The sight that met their eyes was complete and total chaos. Buildings were on fire and toppled, evil Digimon were roaming the streets and people were fleeing in a panic. Some of the humans that they saw were just laying on the ground, or screaming to the sky. "Oh dear- me! This is awful!" Seraphimon exclaimed in horror. "Okay, Etsuko, Kirin and I will head over to Etsuko's house to try and stop Dragomon and protect Kisa-Chan and the others, everyone else on rescue duty- take out as many evil Digimon as possible and rescue anyone who needs rescuing, got it!" Izumi called over the sound of another explosion. **"Got it!"** everyone exclaimed at the same time. Then they split up.

**_Ð_**

Ravemon flew through the air with Mark on his back, both looking down belong for anyone in need of rescue or any evil Digimon to destroy. "There!" The boy called, pointing at a family that was being chased by a Warumonzamon. "Heartbreak attack!" the Puppet Digimon cried, projecting sickly green heart shaped bubbles from it's stomach which enveloped the family and caused them to slump against the inside of the bubble and sob in despair. Warumonzamon chuckled cruelly and moved forwards to take the family, but a: "Spiral Raven Claw!" attack stopped him in his tracks and cut off his arm, making the Virus typed bear "bleed" stuffing. "Aaargh! Who did that!" Warumonzamon cried in pain. Ravemon landed before the family. He tried poking the bubble with his claws, but it wouldn't pop, no matter what he did.

So instead he switched to making sure they wouldn't get hurt. "Take this you overgrown turkey: Heartbreak attack!" the Virus Typed Bear Digimon cried. "Hold on tight Mark!" Ravemon called, as he dodged attack after attack. "Bear Claw!" the evil bear cried, suddenly switching to slashing at the Mega, making him hastily back-peddle. "Wah!" Mark cried, as the boy was thrown from his back. Warumonzamon grinned sadistically, before shooting another "Heartbreak attack!" and catching him easily in the bubble. The dark-skinned boy felt despair and sadness overwhelm him and fell to his hands and knees, "we're never going to be able to stop him, let alone stop Dragomon and save Kisa-Chan- we're all gonna be slaves forever!" he cried, tears beginning to sob uncontrollably. Warumonzamon snickered, "geeze, what a cry-baby! And to think _he's_ one of the Digidestined that have been giving the master so much trouble?" he mocked.

However the moment of distraction cost him, because in that moment another: "Spiral Raven Claw!" sliced through his stomach where his true body was. "Wha- no!" the evil bear exclaimed as he burst into bits of Data and the bubbles trapping Mark and the family were dispersed. As the now freed man and his two children ran away, Mark sat up and shook his head, "oh man, that was horrible! I never wanna go through that again, the Dark Ocean is bad enough!" he muttered. "are you alright?" Ravemon asked. Mark nodded, "yeah, yeah I'm fine" he grinned up at his partner, "let's get back to work, okay?" he asked. His partner nodded and the two flew off again.

**_Ð_**

Lotosmon flew through the air with Koko in her arms, "you okay up here?" she asked her partner. The 9 year old red head nodded, "I'm fine, let's just keep going" she replied. The Fairy Type Digimon smiled, "alright". Suddenly they noticed a young couple being attacked by a couple of Phantomon. "Down their Lotosmon!" Koko called, "I see them!" her partner replied. Lotusmon landed on the ground in front of the couple. The two evil Digimon chuckled, "awe, what a cute Fairy, it's dangerous here, why don't you fly on home?" on of the Phantomon asked condescendingly.

The Mega smirked, "I've got a better idea, why don't you try this! Seven's Fantasia!" Lotosmon cried, the flowed head on her staff lighting up with all the colours of the rainbow. The Phantomon stopped their charge and stared at the colours, "so pretty" one mumbled, before dropping his scythe, the other soon following suit. "You want in?" Lotomon asked in a gentle voice. **_"Yes please"_** both Phantom Digimon replied. "Then your wish is my command!" the Mega Digimon replied, the light glowing brighter, before it suddenly cut out and both Phantomon collapsed to the ground.

"What just happened?" the woman asked. Lotosmon turned to the couple and replied, "my Sevens Fantasia tempts Digimon with visions of the euphoric fantasy world that exists within my staff then I can draw them into said world- but only in their dreams" the Fairy Digimon replied. Koko smiled, "good job Lotosmon!" she cheered, before turning to the couple, "are you two hurt anywhere?" she asked. "A-a little" the man replied. "I can help with that" Lotosmon replied, flying over to the two and holding out her Caduceus, white snake facing them, "Serpent Cure!" the Mega Digimon called, a white energy shooting from it's eyes and mouth. As it shone on them, the man and woman realised that their injuries and exhaustion were disappearing. "Thank you both very much, my name is Itsuki Hayashi, and this is my wife Yukina" Itsuki introduced them. Koko smiled, "It's nice to meet you both, my name is Koko, and this is my Digimon Partner Lotosmon" she introduced herself and her partner.

"Just Koko, no last name?" Yukina asked in confusion. Koko shook her head, "Hayashi-San, I'm an orphan" she explained. The young woman placed her hand over her mouth, "oh you poor girl" she replied sadly. The red-haired girl shook her head, "it's okay, my friends and Digimon partner are my family, so I don't mind as much as I did- anyway, I have to go search for anymore people who are in trouble, so bye!" Koko called, waving as Lotosmon picked her up. "Wait!" Yukina called. The Nine year old turned back to the woman, "what Orphanage do you live in?" she asked. "Riyuma Orphanage, lived their since I was three!" she replied, before Lotosmon picked her up and flew away. Yukina turned back to her husband, "dear, you don't think we could-?" she began, but stopped. "We'll see after all of this is over Yukina" Itsuki replied.

**_Ð_**

Izumi, Kirin and Etsuko watched despondently at the damage being done to the city as they were flown overhead. "Do you think we'll make it in time?" Kirin asked. "Of course we will!" Etsuko exclaimed, "this is my baby sisters life we're talking about here, we _have_ to make it in time!" she cried, determined. "Right, sorry" the blond Uchiwa replied. Soon they saw the huge mansion that was the Uchiwa estate, "we're almost their" Izumi muttered. Seraphimon looked around, "I can't see Dragomon or his minions" she said in confusion. "Maybe we made it before they did?" Etsuko suggested. "No, it can't be that- by the time we made it though the gate half an hour had passed, or at least enough time for all these evil Digimon to wreck the city even more than they did before" Cherubimon replied. "Look, let's just get down their and worry about the rest later, we need to get our families out of there" Izumi said. Everyone else nodded. When they landed the small group looked around, "hello? Is anyone here?!" Etsuko called.

Suddenly a huge form landed on the lawn behind them, causing everyone to spin around. The three Celestial Digimon narrowed their eyes, even though you could only tell that on one of them, "Dragomon" Ophanimon muttered, clenching her fist around her javelin. "Just give up Dragomon! You can't defeat all of us!" Seraphimon called. The Depraved Monk Of The Deep grinned twistedly, "I don't need to defeat you, **_I JUST NEED TO CRUSH YOUR HOPE!_**" he roared, throwing his trident towards the mansion. "NOOOOOOO!" everyone screamed, before it impacted with the force of a bomb, causing an explosion that knocked everyone off their feet.

**_Ð_**

All around the city, the Digidestined saw and heard the explosion. Mark stared over towards it, having a horrible feeling. He turned towards his partner, "we gotta go Ravemon!" he called. The Cyborg Digimon nodded and picked the boy up, carrying him in the direction of the explosion. Koko gasped from Lotusmon's arms, "oh no, faster Lotusmon!" she cried. Shiro and Cutemon looked up from where they were helping people to the shelters, "Shiro, that explosion-" Cutemon exclaimed. The white-haired girl nodded, "let's go!" she replied. Hiroshi looked up from Gargomon's shoulder, "that came from where Marks house was, oh no, Gargomon!" the boy cried in fear. The giant Digimon nodded, taking his partner off his shoulder and cradling him in his hands, "hold on Hiroshi!" he said, before his rockets started up and the two flew into the air.

**_Ð_**

Etsuko fell to her knees in horror at the sight before her. The once beautiful mansion was now a flaming husk. No one could have survived that. She began screaming, for her family, for the others families. Izumi was unable to speak or move. Her Mama was dead? This, this couldn't be real. It had to be- a nightmare or something. Etsuko's broken wailing brought her back to reality and tears flooded her eyes. Kirin stared in shock at the flaming wreckage that was once his house. "Dad?" was all he could bring himself to say before he collapsed to his knees as well, too shocked to even cry. Their partners were absolutely furious, "Dragomon! You've gone too far!" Cherubimon roared. "For what you have done, you will never be forgiven!" Ophanimon agreed. "You are pure evil, and deserve to be destroyed!" Seraphimon cried.

The three lunged at the Depraved Monk, who was laughing at the results of his actions, but stopped when he caught sight of the three murderous looking Celestial Angels streaking towards him like meteors. A few moments later, though it could have been hours for all the three broken children knew, the others arrived. "Guys, what the hell just- _*gasp*_!" Koko began, before cutting off in a horrified gasp, her hands covering her mouth when she saw the wreckage and the three Angel Digimon trying to beat the shit out of Dragomon. All the children gatherd around Izumi, Etsuko and Kirin, their Digimon joining in the competition of _'see who can cause Dragomon the most pain'_, tears streaming from their eyes when they realised that all of their families were dead- for a moment. Suddenly a bright white light shone from the wreckage of the mansion. **_"WHAT!? NO! IT'S IMPOSIBLE!" _**Dragomon screamed in outrage.

The light floated into the air and towards the group revealing _Lucemon_ in a sphere of white energy. But that wasn't was shocked everyone the most. After a moment a great cheer of joy went up from the children. For inside the bubble was everyone's families, including Makoto Kamaiya and her baby daughter. As the bubble floated towards them, Lucemon smiled, "I've got them! So you just focus on taking Dragomon down!" she called. With their hope restored, _everyone _began beating the shit out of Dragomon: "you like picking on helpless babies, huh! Let's see how you like this! Serpant Ruin!" Lotosmon cried, shooting black energy at the Dark Master of the Dark Ocean. "How _dare _you try and kill my family! Strom of Judgment!" Cherubimon screamed, multiple red lightning bolts frying the evil Digimon. "Strike of the Seven Stars!" Seraphimon cried, shooting her own attack at the bastard. "Sepherote Crystal's!" Ophanimon cried. "Celestial Blade!" Ravemon cried, hitting Dragomon with a huge bolt of dark lighting which lit up the sky. "Don't forget about me! Mega Barrage!" MegaGargomon called, attacking Dragomon with his entire artillery. The evil Digimon screamed one last time, before finally being obliterated, shattering into particles of Data.

With Dragomon defeated for good, the group now had only one last obstacle to defeat. They turned to look at the Dark Ocean, "well, now what do we do? How are we supposed to defeat pure Darkness and evil?" Hiroshi asked. "Like this" a voice from behind him replied. Suddenly he felt gentle arms around him. Glancing up, he saw Mikami hugging him from behind. "Oba-San" he muttered, feeling his muscles finally relax after what felt like forever. Etsuko hugged her mother and Grandpa, even getting a cuddle with Kisa and her partner. All of the adults hugged their children, Nori Yukari even pulling Koko into a hug along with Izumi. As they felt the love surround them, each childs Crest began to glow, shocking them. A light from each Crest exploded upwards, before hitting the Dark ocean. When it did, the water began to recede back through the portals that had been opened up around the city. The light washed over everything live pure waves, closing the portals and healing those who had been affected by the Dark Ocean.

Everyone watched in awe of the power they were witnessing. When the Dark Ocean was gone, and the portals had vanished completely, all of the Crests stopped glowing, including Etsuko's. When it did all of their Partners started to glow and shrank down all the way to their Digi-eggs. The children gasped and ran over to them, picking the eggs up. "It looks like they used up too much power" Izumi said. Looking up at everyone, the blue-haired girl smiled, "but that's okay, we know that they'll always come back to us. And now, we can finally relax, knowing that we've save both worlds, hopefully for a while" she said. Everyone laughed.

To Be Continued


	31. Epilouge: I'm a Digidestined

A little girl of about 7 years old ate breakfast with her family. At the head of the table was her mother and next her was her Grandpa. Sitting next to her was her older sister. Also at the table were two strange creatures. One was a brown and pink rabbit-like creature and the other was a small brown creature with a yellow frill and small brown tail. They were eating as well. Or, well had already finished eating. Soon the two younger ones had finished, "I'm finished Mama, can Frimon and I go out and play now?" the seven year old asked. "Yes please, can we? We were going to meet up with Hiroshi and the others today?" the older girl asked. The two adults looked at each other and smiled, before looking back, "sure, just be careful okay?" Makoto Kamiya replied.

"Yay! Come on Frimon, let's go!" the seven year old exclaimed. "Kisa-Chan, make sure you listen to Etsuko-Chan, okay?" their mother asked. Etsuko frowned, "Kaa-San, I'm not a baby anymore, I'm gonna be an adult next year!" she whined. Makoto stared at her eldest, "true, but until you actually turn 20, you're still legally a child Etsuko, the same goes for your friends except for Koko-Chan, she's only 16" the woman replied. Etsuko sighed, while Kisa began tugging on her arm, "come on, we're gonna be late!" she whined. "We're coming, don't worry," the rabbit-like Digimon, Lopmon replied. "Bye Mama, bye Jiji!" The chocolate-brown-haired girl called as they left the house. The two adults smiled at each other in exasperation, "you know, I wonder how Hiroshi's doing? I know that he moved into a School Dorm after Mikami passed away, but still, we hardly ever get to see that boy anymore" Akira muttered.

"Oh yes, we should invite him over soon, I know that Kisa-Chan loves spending time with her older Cousin" Makoto replied.

**_Ð_**

The others stood waiting in the park, their Digimon Partners standing or sitting beside them, "how long are we going to have to wait?!" Shiro demanded. Izumi sighed, "you know, for an adult, you really act like a child still" she muttered. "But I'm bored and hungry!" she whined. "Come on Shiro, I'm sure they'll be here soon" Cutemon replied. Mark rolled his eyes at their resident Drama Queen, before he saw Koko run up, "hey guys, sorry, the train was running late" she replied. The teen smiled at the younger girl, "good morning Koko, how have your parents been?" he asked. Koko Hayashi looked up at the older boy, "oh, they've been good, is your house rebuilt yet?" she asked with a smirk. The older boy sulked, "why must you always bring that up! Yes, it's been built for ages now! You've stayed over a few times already!" he exclaimed, causing the red-haired girl to laugh.

"Hey everyone! I'm here!" Kirin called, running up with Gatomon at his side, "sorry, had some paperwork to finish!" he panted. "It's no problem, I just got here too" Koko replied. The blond blushed when he saw the Hayashi, "oh, h-hi Koko, how are you?" he asked, while Gatomon rolled her eyes. Before conversations could go too far, Hiroshi, Etsuko and Kisa ran up, "hey! Good we aren't too late!" Hiroshi replied. Terriermon nudged him, "I told you we wouldn't be that late!" he replied. "Finally! How long does it take to get out of the house!" Shiro demanded. "Now, now, theirs's no need to be rude Shiro" Cutemon reprimanded her partner. Hiroshi laughed, "it's fine, we did make you wait after all, sorry" he replied. "So, shall we go get lunch?"

**_Ð_**

Sitting in the park, most of the children had store bought Bento Boxes in their laps. Kisa and Frimon were sitting with Koko and Cutemon, since the other girl was the youngest of the original group of Digidestined. Meanwhile, Izumi moved closer to the older Digidestined "Hey, you know, I was thinking, you know how in Digimon Adventure and Adventure 02 every child who saw a Digimon eventually became a Digidestined? Well I'm pretty sure the Dark Ocean was covering much more than just our city seven years ago" she said. Kirin frowned, "you think there could be more Digidestined out their?" he asked. "Sure, why not? There could be millions all around the world, just like at the end of the second series. I say that as soon as we get some money together, we start travelling to meet them all!" the blue-haired girl replied.

"Except those Digidestined had a Mega Digimon that could carry them all around the whole world in a single night, we don't exactly have that" Hiroshi replied, as, unseen by anyone, Kisa got up and moved away from the group. "Besides, how do we know it even works like that here? I mean, none of us ever saw Digimon in the real world before we got our partners" Mark added. "How about, instead of trying to travel the world, we look in our own city first? There could be new Digidestined who think they have to hide or something" Kirin suggested. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea, much better than trying to get enough money together to fly around the world" Shiro agreed. "So, we're agreed, tomorrow we start searching the city for other Digidestined!" Izumi said cheerfully. "Uh, hey Etsuko-Nee-Chan? I think I did something wrong!" Kisa called.

Everyone turned to look, before gasping. Laying on the ground in front of the chocolate-brown-haired girl and Frimon was Wizardmon.

**_Ð_**

My name is Kisa Kamiya. I'm Seven years old and a Digidestined like my Nee-Chan and her friends. But I didn't really know what that meant until now. So far my life has been peaceful. However, that was all about to change.

The end- for now


End file.
